Different World, New Friends
by regenengel3
Summary: Janette was normal, even if she wasn't really social and her tastes were odd to those around her. Then she died and everything changed. This is the tale of how she became Fremd and why. Though, her glares were making Arecus begin to regret interfering with her death.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I am not that big a fan of the pokemon show. Recently, I've read several well done Pokemon fanfics, and decided to try my hand with this formula. This is an exercise in research for me, so feel free to correct me on anything I get wrong. Obviously, I only own Janet/Fremd and the nick-names she comes up with.

**Chapter 1**: Old World, Bad Nights

It had been a pleasant night. Her mom and dad were going out for the night and Janet wished them well. She loved her parents very much, and was old enough to stay home alone, so told them to go on and have a nice night. "Call us if anything happens, alright?" her mom implored. Janet nodded.

"Of course mom. Now go! Have fun!" she said, a fond smile on her face. Donella Sutherland smiled at her only daughter and kissed the top of her head.

"You be good now, Janet. I want to have a home to come back to," she said, a teasing glint in her eyes. Janet smiled. Donella had a slightly morbid sense of humor, but Janet loved her all the more for it. She had inherited that humor after all.

"Of course mom. Off you go," Janet said, pushing the older woman toward the door. Donella laughed, but walked out the door with her husband, Fergus, and out into the night. Janet set up her laptop with her Logitech speakers, turned them up high, and got to work on her room.

/*/

After her chores were done, Janet turned her music down to a more normal volume and started to work on her chemistry homework. Half and hour later, she heard something on the front porch. Pausing her music, Janet heard a knock. Grabbing her wooden sword, which she kept by her bed, and crept to the door, sword hidden behind her leg. A figure was on the porch, waiting with his back to the window. Curious, but cautious, Janet went closer. Now she could see what the figure was wearing. It looked like a cop uniform, but she was still cautious. "Who's there?!" she said loudly, a little ways from the still closed and locked door. The figure turned around. It was a middle aged man in a police uniform, a very grave look on his face.

"Office White!" he called back. Janet narrowed her eyes, and Officer White stepped to the side. Now she could see not only him, but the police car parked on the curb. It's light bar was on. Fear and dread curled in her stomach. She felt like she had the flu. Fighting back panic, she came closer and opened the door to peek out.

"And why are you here, Officer?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"This is the home of the Sutherland family right?" he asked. Janet blinked.

"Er... which Sutherland family?"

"Fergus and Donella." Janet thought she might faint. The grave look. The dark night. Her parents' names. The gray rain dulling the colors outside the protection of the porch roof.

"Yes..." she said, the dread from earlier growing stronger, heavier, like a stone.

"Are you a relative?" the man asked. Janet gave him what she hoped was a dry look, but she thought it was more scared.

"Their daughter. Only child," she answered, hoping this wasn't what she was thinking it was.

"I'm... I'm sorry Miss," Officer White said, fiddling with his hat and looking as uncomfortable as she was scared.

"What... what happened to my parents?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound as pitiful as she thought she did. White looked down for a moment. Janet could feel an emotional breakdown brewing and whispered, "Please, just tell me. The suspense is killing me." Officer White huffed out a laugh, but it sounded... false. Like there was no joy or amusement behind it and it was just so he didn't start crying.

"Drunk driver," he said, and those two words sent a shock-wave through Janet's very world. Colors faded further, the swirling lights of the cop car out front blurred together, there was screaming in her ears and cotton in her throat.

"Are they... ?" she couldn't say it. The lump was choking her. Her eyes were burning. Officer White was blinking furiously, as though her emotions were being projected onto him.

"Killed on impact." Her world shattered. The screaming grew louder. Visions and colors swirled before her eyes. Pain flashed through her knees. Her face was wet. She was crying. The screaming in her ears was her own. Her heart felt like it was breaking. Her throat hurt but she paid it no mind. Her parents. Her loving, kind, God fearing, teasing, caring, hardworking, goofy, parents were gone. Dead. Just like that. Finally, she gave one last choked comment before darkness welcomed her into his comforting arms.

/*/

Officer Jeremiah White hated having to be the barer of bad news. Unfortunately, he was the most sensitive and caring person for the job. And in a town like his, death notices were all too common. Sure they were more due to drunk driving and suicide than anything else, but a death was a death, no matter how it happened. And if there was a death on a case Jeremiah was working, he had to inform the next of kin. Of course, when they found the Sutherlands dead from a car wreck, he was sent to the Sutherland's home. When he pulled up to the house, he could see lights on. He knocked, almost hoping no-one was home and the couple had just left their lights on. A slight girl, probably only about sixteen, maybe seventeen, came creeping out of a back room. He saw her first... then the object she was trying to hide behind her leg. Her smirked to himself. _'Good girl! Grab something to defend yourself with before checking out the odd noise,'_ he thought, before turning so she saw his back. He didn't want her to know he had seen her. Make it look like he was waiting to be invited. Which he was.

"Who's there?!" he heard a slightly muffled voice call out from the house. He turned back, his face going grave as he remembered why he was there.

"Officer White!" he called back, hoping she'd come closer. He didn't want to have to do this through a closed door. Then again, it might make it easier. He stepped to the side to show her his squad car. He could tell the moment she recognized it. The fear and dread in her eyes was a sight he had seen far too often.

"Why are you here, Officer?" she asked. Her voice nearly made Jeremiah turn around and leave. Let Jance tell her, he was outta there! But the look in her eyes, pleading him to tell her but dreading the answer... He swallowed heavily and followed procedure. The fear and dread grew stronger in her eyes, even as she no doubt tried to beat it back. Her macabre humor, though flat, forced him to let out a mirthless laugh. Then he looked up, and delivered two words that clearly shifted her world on its axis.

"Drunk Driver." She chocked back a sob, her eyes watering slightly.

"Are they... ?" she asked, hope in her eyes. Jeremiah hated it when they looked like that. It made him feel like a bad guy.

"Killed on impact," he answered, fighting to get the words out. Once she was past her shock, he had a feeling she'd understand what he was trying to tell her. '_They didn't suffer.'_ She screamed. Tears streamed down her face. She fell to her knees, her screams getting louder, the tears coming harder. Jeremiah wanted to gather her up in his arms and hug her, rock her back and forth and tell her it'd be alright. But he didn't have the right. She wouldn't appreciate it. So he stood there, watching her with pained eyes, trying his best to be there for this girl. Then she looked up, though he doubted she could see him, her eyes were so full of tears and so glazed by pain. She whispered the most heartbreaking four words Jeremiah thought he'd ever heard.

"It was their anniversary." Jeremiah felt tears rolling down his own cheeks now. Their anniversary. The Sutherlands had been killed by a drunk driver _on their anniversary!_ And they left their only child behind, likely only a few months before her birthday. He sighed and picked her up, muttering an apology to the passed out child as he carried her into the house. He took her to the living room and laid her down on the couch. A cell phone fell from her front jeans pocket and Jeremiah breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn't have to go looking for it. He picked it up and woke it up. He navigated through it, looking for a contact that could help her when he had to leave. He found her favorites, and dialed the first one. Fran Lennox. The phone rang a few times, before a cheery voice answered... in German.

"Fran Lennox?" he asked. The German stopped and was shortly replaced with worried English.

"Who is this and how did you get Fremd's phone?" the girl asked. Jeremiah smiled wanly.

"Officer Jeremiah White, Miss Lennox. Are you a friend of miss Sutherland?" he asked.

"Whatever it is, _Fremd's innocent!_" the girl replied heatedly. Jeremiah was fairly certain that in almost any other situation, he would have liked this girl. At the moment however, he had to wonder why Fran would immediately jump to that conclusion.

"She's not a suspect, Miss Lennox. She's a victim," Jeremiah said, weariness settling back in. This was almost as bad as confronting Miss Sutherland. A pained gasp came through the line.

"What happened?!"

"I'm sorry to say... your friend has recently been orphaned," he said. The girl seemed to have frozen. Jeremiah winced. That could have come out better.

"Did you tell her? Did she cry herself to sleep? Is that how you got this phone? Oh Fudge, this is terrible! Mr. and Mrs. Sutherland were awesome. How did it happen?"

"Drunk driver in the rain. All three died on impact."

"Well. At least they didn't suffer," Fran said. Jeremiah got the feeling she had settled back into her chair. "I'll let my mom know and we'll head right over. We should be about half an hour." A pause. Jeremiah was about to hang up when she added, "This might be a bit much to ask but... could you wait with her? She's going to need someone to support her and... you're the only one I can ask to be there for her until I can get there." Jeremiah smiling.

"You're a true friend, Miss Lennox. Yes, I'll stay until you and your mother arrive. I'd say you have some questions for me," he said. Fran agreed and the two hung up.

/*/

Fran Lennox was the daughter of a naval aviator and a JAG lawyer, both retired from military service. Once Fran was born, they decided the life of a navy brat wasn't the life they wanted for their daughter. Still, they had connections and a part of them would always be military. Some of that was passed down to their daughter. Part of this navy inheritance was self defense lessons from her aviator father and, more important in the situation she was about to find herself in, debriefing skills. Fran Lennox wanted to be a naval aviator, just like her father, but in the meantime, she was a high-school student/German tutor. And the best friend of Janet Sutherland. So when she got a call, late at night, from her friend, she eagerly picked up and started chattering. In German. Of course. "Hey girl! How are you?! The parents still out? Oh! Did you see that episode last night? Oh man, the feels! The..."

"Fran Lennox?" Fran froze. That was so not Fremd. She switched back to English. She listened to the policeman explain the situation, after the obligatory 'she's innocent!' tag. Once she realized the situation, Fran's quasi-military upbringing kicked in and she started making plans. Once she knew Fremd would be looked after until they got there, Fran tore out of her room, grabbed the keys, grabbed her mom, and practically threw her in the passenger's side before throwing herself into the driver's seat, revving the engine, and peeling out of the driveway, headed for the Sutherland home.

"Fran! What's the meaning of this?!" Jean Lennox asked sharply.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sutherland got hit by a drunk driver. Dead on impact. Janet needs me, you need to ask all the questions that are needed, and then fill out any forms or sundry other paperwork type things so Janet can live with us until she decides what it is she needs to do. She's hurting, lost, and doesn't know which way is up right now," Fran answered, her eyes unwaveringly fixed on the road. Jean shut up and let her daughter drive. She was right after all.

/*/

Jeremiah was grateful when the Lennox women turned up. The girl, Janet, looked like she was just starting to wake up. He was impressed with Mrs. Lennox's steamroller approach to getting the now-orphaned Sutherland transferred into her care until the age of eighteen when she would legally become an adult. Of course, not all of the details could be worked out then and there, Jeremiah was just the bearer of bad news. Still, he was glad to be shot of this case. It was very, very, cut and dry. He wished the family well and went on his way, believing himself washed of the Sutherland Case.

/*/

The fallout hit the next week. Janet was left with the house, her parents bank accounts, the bills. Everything. The car was totaled, but she got her father's motorcycle, even though she couldn't ride it. "You going to get a motorcycle license?" Fran asked when they brought the bike to the Lennox house. Janet shook her head. She couldn't stand looking at it, but she couldn't bare the thought of selling it. Fran sighed. "You'll want one some day. Dad's not always going to be available to drive you to kendo practice."

"I can't Fran. Not right now," Janet said, walking away from the bike. It was too painful to even look at it. Her father had loved that old bike. After that, it took her a month to start sorting through everything at the house. She ended up donating most of her parents clothes, sparing a few keepsakes such as her mother's wedding dress. From there, it took another two months to get it all done and herself moved into the Lennox home. Once that was done, Janet sold the house. All the vehicles besides the bike had already been sold, whether to a pre-owned car lot or the junk yard, Janet didn't know and didn't really care. Not long after that, she started looking for a job... and caring for her father's old bike. Eventually, Janet found that she needed a way to get around. Knowing the bike was fully paid off and all she'd need to pay on it was insurance, Janet went about getting her bike license.

"I was wondering when you'd want to learn, Janet! Do you want me to take you to the cycle shop and pick you up some gear?" Mr. Lennox asked. Janet glowered.

"No, thank you, Mr. Lennox. I'll get some gear when I can ride the bike off your property," she said. Mr. Lennox laughed, but left it at that. She opened a bank account in her own name, transferred a third of her money into checking, ten percent went to the family's church, and the rest went into savings. It still took her three months, but Janet got her motorcycle license the same day she landed a job. Janet thanked the Lord God Almighty fervently for her fortune. She started work the next day. Three weeks after she turned eighteen, Janet started looking for a place to call her own. She found a modest little house, not too far from her job, that she fell in love with. The little old lady who owned it put Janet in mind of a sweet grandmother, and she resolved to offer the sweet lady some help from time to time.

/*/

Janet had always been a bit different than the other girls in her class. Most of the girls at Valley High weren't interested in science, while Janet was the star of their robotics club. While her peers were boy crazy, Janet was weapon crazy. Her collection spanned many countries, sizes, and shapes, though she could only use her swords and some of the knife styles. She was also a black belt in karate. Why so many Japanese based Martial Arts when she's learning German? Simple. She couldn't find any German instructors in Valley. Though, Janet wasn't too bad a shot with various gun models either. She just preferred melee weapons. She claimed it was the romance of the past. Which made a bit of sense as she was also a history buff, though instead of gushing over the fashions of Victorian England, Janet focused more on the wars. Now, most would think from all the weapons and war stuff that Janet was a violent juvenile delinquent. Most would be wrong. Janet's dream was to be a world class army doctor. One of her role models was John Watson from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's _Sherlock Holmes_ collection. Her best friend, and German 'tutor', called her Fremd for the sole reason that she was unlike most of the other girls. Janet didn't mind the nickname, and used it in some of her stories.

/*/

It was during one of her 'writing moments' that Fran, her crazy best friend, came to her. "Yo, Fremd, what'cha writin'?" she asked, leaning over her friend. Janet scowled playfully at her friend.

"A Harry Potter fan-fic. I'm not too good at original stuff yet. Baby steps, ya know?" she answered. Fran laughed.

"Too right! So, what's it about?" she asked.

"Oh, you know. Time-travel, anger, fun, war, pwnage. The usual," Janet answered with a grin. Fran laughed again.

"That's so you, Fremd! So, who gets sent back?" she asked, flopping down on the ground by Janet.

"Regulus. I don't know quite why, but he's my favorite off-screen character. Poor guy, he just never had the time to figure things out and then, _whoosh!_ He's killed by magical zombies while he's trying to do the right thing. Plus he could help save the Potters, Remus, and Sirius if he knows what's going to happen. Maybe Snape wouldn't have gone so far off the deep end if he had better friends. Who knows right?" Janet replied.

"Pure Fremd, always thinking on the what ifs and if onlys," Fran said, laying back. Janet chuckled.

"Yep! That's me! Little miss different, thinking 'if only things were a little... different,'" she said.

"Another reason to call you Fremd," Fran said triumphantly. Janet shot her a look.

"Why are you hammering in the meaning of my nickname? It's like we're doing some sort of forced introduction/set-up thingy for a second rate work of fiction that's all to obvious and is going to make the readers say 'okay already! We get it! Her nickname is Fremd because she's different and fremd means different, can we move on now?'" she said. Fran looked at her, then shrugged with a grin.

"Not a clue, but you might have gone a little overboard. Honestly, you read too much into things," she said. Janet shook her head before looking out at the sky.

"Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to fly? Like, without the plane? Imagine there were sky-bikes, like in that one show, Storm Hawks. Wouldn't that be cool?"

"I would have thought you'd say 'like on a broom, from Harry Potter world.' Why a sky-bike?"

"Because motorcycles are cooler than brooms, duh," Janet said, smacking Fran lightly. "Which is why Sirius Black would have tied with Remus Lupin for coolest godfather ever if he hadn't gone to Azkaban."

"Oh... wait. Why?" Janet groaned.

"I know you do this on purpose to annoy me, but I can't help it. Sirius Black, if he hadn't gone to prison, would have tied with Remus Lupin for coolest godfather because he had a _flying motorcycle!_" she said. Fran chuckled at her irritated friend.

"I don't know if Sirius would have tied with Remus, but I will say that they were both pretty cool," she said. Janet nodded, though she frowned as well.

"Though I will say one thing about fanfiction, while it tugs at and pulls forward what we love about a book or some other form of story, it can also tear it apart. I can't tell you how many bash fics I've read. And the worst part? For a lot of them, _I can see it!_ That... that's what gets me. Anyway, what are you up too?" she said, shaking herself away from the world of fiction. The two chatted for a while longer before Fran had to go to her job at the pet store. Janet saw her friend off, then went back inside her house.

/*/

Arceus watched the girl as she sat by the window, scribbling away in her notebook. He knew she didn't have many attachments besides her best friend and the girl's family. Mr. Lennox had taught both girls self defense since they were five while his wife taught them how to cook, with or without a kitchen. Mr. Lennox, being a former Marine, had also given them survival and navigation training. Janet wouldn't have picked anyone else for a foster family. It was also because of this that Arceus was considering asking _that woman_ if he could have her come train his champion. She'd be a wonderful teacher for the idiot. But, he knew he wouldn't have her unless she died before her time. Darn rules.

/*/

While Arceus had been musing about her foster family and the skills they taught her, Janet had used all her free time. She looked at the time and gasped before putting aside her notebook and stumbling over to her closet. She pulled on her lime green 'Joe's Mugs' shirt and her motorcycle boots before grabbing her G-1 bomber's jacket. She tumbled out of her house, locked up, grabbed her helmet, and walked her bike to the gate. As she was fumbling with the padlock she kept muttering, "Gonna be late, gonna be late!" When she got the gate locked behind her she grinned before putting on her helmet and checking her gloves. That done, she kicked her bike to life and took off down the road to her job at the local coffee shop/bookstore, Joe's Mugs. She didn't particularly like coffee, but she adored books, so it worked out in her mind. She didn't care that she didn't have a college degree or bad pay, she was surrounded by things that she loved and on her breaks she could read what she liked. The fact that it allowed her to talk to the costumers about the books in the store was the pay off as far as her boss was concerned.

/*/

Joe's Mugs was a quaint little shop that was only open from three o'clock PM to ten o'clock PM. It was a popular hang out for the poorer youths of Valley. Sipping coffee and reading books they couldn't afford to buy, students either relaxed or studied like crazy for that test or paper that they were certain was going to kick their tails. Janet loved it, even if she preferred tea to coffee. She had to admit, the smell wasn't too bad. Parking her bike behind the bookshop, Janet wondered if her shift manager had remembered to unlock the door. Pulling out her key in unimpressed anticipation, Janet tried the door. Big surprise, it was locked. Sighing, our protagonist unlocked the staff entrance and wandered up to the coffee maker. For some reason, she found the machines full of old grounds. "You guys! Always dump out the old grounds," she said.

"Sorry Janet," one of her co-workers said, looking a little sheepish. She shook her head and set about fixing that little problem.

"Yeah yeah. Not your fault. It was the last one to use the 'maker," she said, giving the other girl a small smile. After that, her co-workers and shift manager just left her alone. It was a little known fact, but when Janet was at the coffeemaker, she made magic. The shop got the most commerce on her shift. When her break rolled around, Janet wandered over to the historical section. She spent an hour reading about wars and foreign policy before making her way back to the coffee bar. Suddenly, the bell rang. Janet looked up with a smile and a chirpy, "Welcome to Joe's Mugs!" There in the door was one of her repeat customers. Mary Garden. "What can I help you with today, Mary?" Janet asked. To anyone who didn't know her, it would look like she was honestly smiling but to her co-workers, they could see how strained that smile was.

"I'm looking for a book on the Second World War. Especially the concentration camps," Mary said, her nose stuck in the air. Janet nodded, glad that she had spent the day in the history section. Mary followed, though she seemed very disdainful. Mary Garden was a repeat customer, true, but she was a rather disliked customer. She was fifteen with blond hair perfectly styled and the latest fashions. She had a sharp face, an upturned nose, narrow shoulders, and an acid tongue. Most were amazed that Janet, a rather fiery young woman, could stand to serve her. However, Janet had a trick to it. She imagined Mary as a little girl, playing at being a teen, who just wanted attention. That didn't mean that Janet didn't get irritated at her, but it did mean that Janet had an easier time of controlling her emotions and her 'need' to punch the girl. The needed book was soon found and Mary was on her way. Heaving a huge sigh, Janet returned to the coffee.

/*/

"Thanks for the hard work! Let's have another great day tomorrow!" the shift manager called. The rest of the crew called out a resounding, wordless, cry and Janet found herself closing. Like always. Sighing, she swept, mopped, vacuumed, and cleaned out the coffeemakers. She locked the doors, pulled on her helmet, checked her boots, tugged on her gloves, and started up the bike for the trip back to her little house. However, Janet never made it home that day. No, she got into an accident, out of no fault of her own, and died.

.

.

.

No really. She died.

Her heart stopped beating, her skin grew cold, the light left her eyes, whole nine yards.

Fran gave a touching eulogy... in German.

The folks from her church sang a few songs, there was cake, and a motorcycle gang crashed the reception.

She would have loved it.

However, Janet didn't know she was dead. In fact, she was quite sure she was alive. Or... she thought she was.

"If you're an equine... how are you talking?" Arceus shook his head. This was going to be a long afternoon.

/?/

A/N: And that's how it started.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the main character.

**Chapter 2:** New World, Better Days

"So... you're telling me that... I'm dead... and you're the most powerful pokemon in existence, Arceus... and I'm supposed to help Ash Ketchum, the main character of an anime that is the adaptation/compilation of several games, save the world ten times over?" Janet said, clearly skeptical. Arceus nodded, glad that she was catching on. This turned to befuddlement as she glared at him. "Why in the great galleoump was I picked?! And how in the wide williedoorp did you get into my unconscious dream world!?" she asked, glaring. Arceus sighed, though he did find some amusement in her expressions. I mean, galleoump? Williedoorp? Where did she come up with those?

"You are the only compatible person, Janet. Besides, Ash travels with more females than males." Janet glared.

"All the more reason to search for a _male!_ The poor kid has had more than enough female role models, he needs a man!" she insisted. Arceus shook his head again.

"It has to be you, Janet. You're different," he said. Janet's glare intensified.

"I've heard that all my life, speaker-horse. I don't need to hear it from a fictional being who is _not God!_" she said, starting off with grit teeth and screaming out the last few words. The grayish-white mist around them shook at her declaration and Arceus bowed.

"No. I am not God. I am the brain child of a game designer. However, due to the power of fandom, I am the supreme overlord of the Pokemon world and what I say goes. Plus, The Fandom of Pokemon needs a 'fan dies/falls/finds strange portal and gets sent to the pokemon world then meets Ash and has adventures' story. So... since you died in the human world, you get sent to the Pokemon world. Hoenn region to be exact. I want you to get your trainer's license and travel the world gaining experience for a while before you go hang out in Rota. There's a band of Lucario in that area who will teach you to harness your aura. It isn't very strong, nothing like Mr. Ketchum or Sir Aaron, but it's there and you can use it. Now, I'm going to send you on to the Hoenn region, seven years before Ash starts his journey. I want you to start teaching him after he saves Rota. What you do before you go to Rota to train with the Lucario is your choice. You could even go there first before traveling around, but you need to be there when Ash comes to save the place. Got it?" Janet didn't stop glaring at him.

"Fine, freaky talking horse-thing. I'll play your game. But that doesn't mean I'll be happy with it! I just left everything behind! I'm dead! There's bound to be a few people who will miss me back home and if I find you had anything to do with my bike accident I will find a way to get to you... and I _will_ hurt you, Pokemon deity or not," she said dangerously, never letting up her glare. Arceus found himself in the odd position of being scared of a human. He didn't like it. But then, that was what Janet was going for, so it worked... for her. "Send me on, Oh Great Representation of the Will of The Fandom, but I will never let this go," she said. The last thing to fade as Janet was sent on were her piercing eyes, which had taken on a hard, dark look. Arceus turned away from the spot with a shiver.

"I am never doing that again. If Ash magicarps up this time, he's figuratively on his own. Freaky human females," he muttered, going to do Arceus type things in his Arceus... place.

/*/

Janet awoke in a white room. She figured she was in a lab or something, though not in the 'let's study her and figure out how she works' kind of way. No. She figured she was in a guest room. Which would explain the white. Sighing, she swung herself off the bed and made her way to the connected bathroom. That done, she wondered over to the wardrobe in the room and found two sets of clothes that looked like they might fit her. Shrugging. Janet grabbed a set of clothes, not wanting to put what she was currently wearing back on after a shower. Thirty minutes later, she was feeling a whole lot more human. Her dark brown hair, now that it was clean and dry, lay in fluffy waves against her neck and brushed her shoulders. The clothes she had found fit rather well for being estimated, and were in a style she could appreciate, unlike some of the fashion statements she had seen in the show. Archie, that guy with the bandana and blue suit with anchors and stuff from Team Aqua, came to mind. She had her old boots, black leather with titanium buckles that went half-way up her calf that had been a combined present from Fran, her landlady, and her other friends. Tucked into the boots that Janet figured she should thank Arceus for allowing her to keep were sturdy dark brown pants that were made of some material she had never encountered. The shirt was made of similar material, but was much softer and of a deep midnight blue. It was tucked into her pants with what could only be called a utility belt around her waist. The belt was black and had pockets and snaps and hooks for all manner of things. She liked it. Along with her boots, Janet got to keep her bomber jacket. All in all, Janet felt she had come out on top as far as clothes went. "Ah, you're up!" came a voice from the door. Janet turned, curious as to who would be so cheerful that she had gotten up. She saw a slightly plump man dressed in comfortable clothes and sandals wearing a lab coat.

"Who are you, and where am I?" Janet asked, a little confused. Who was this person? She wasn't familiar with any of the professors except Oak.

"Oh where are my manners? I'm Professor Birch and you are in my lab at Little Root Town. I found you all dirty and beat up outside my door three days ago. Speaking of, would you like some food? I imagine you're rather hungry right about now," he said, already turning toward the door. Janet smiled and nodded.

"Food would be appreciated, Professor," she said before she sat down at the desk. Birch nodded and sent a little pokemon, Janet didn't know which, off to get some food.

"Now then, would you tell me some about yourself?" he asked, seating himself across from her. Janet thought for a moment, then decided to only give part of the truth.

"I am Fremd and the last thing I remember, is a big truck swerving in front of my bike. Seeing as you haven't mentioned it, I guess I was flung quite a ways away and the truck was unharmed, or at least mostly unharmed. I suppose I should thank you for saving my life, professor. I was headed to your lab in order to get a pokemon license, though I'll need a bit of educating in the matter of pokemon before I am trusted with the care of one. I was told you could help me with that," she said. Birch nodded.

"Yes, I can give you a crash course in pokemon and provide you with a license, starter, and pokedex, if you'd like. Can I ask why someone seemingly so uninterested in pokemon is looking to become a trainer?" he said, giving her a look that seemed almost uncharacteristically sharp. Janet, or Fremd, smiled at him.

"You may, but the answer I give you might not be what you were looking for."

"Indulge me," Birch challenged. Fremd's smile grew wider.

"I am on a mission from Arceus to look after and train his Chosen Hero but to do so properly I must train at least one team and learn the mysteries of aura from a band of Lucario in the wilds of the kingdom of Rota. I was sent here ten years before my mission is to being in earnest so that I might prepare myself and my pokemon," she said with utmost seriousness. Birch blinked. Really? That was her reason? Almost as if she had read his mind, Fremd laughed and said, "I told you you wouldn't believe me! Now, you could also say that my previous career ended abruptly and I wanted to do something completely different and requiring as little contact with people as possible and pokemon trainers fit the bill quite nicely. I could live essentially on my own and still be relatively comfortable with my pokemon friends." Birch nodded.

"Alright, you've made your point. Now, why don't I show you around the lab and get you started on those pokemon lessons? If you do as you have planned, I wonder if you could take some notes on how pokemon behave in the wilderness? I study pokemon habits and distribution so having your input would be most helpful," he said. Fremd smiled. She liked this professor. He knew how to talk to people without them feeling stupid, unlike some of the professors at the colleges she had visited in her old life.

/*/

The first thing Fremd was taught, was the type chart. It was rather confusing, and she knew it would take several tries for her to get it, but she didn't give up. After her first lesson on typing, she was taken out into Birch's ranch area and taught about various species of pokemon. She learned how to feed them, care for them, clean them, and how to direct them in battle. She also learned a good deal about the world she was now in. The government was different, the landmasses were different, the countries were different, even the oceans were named different! It was like being thrown into the digital world from season 1 of Digimon Adventures. Only humans were there too and pokemon weren't created out of data... well. Not that the people knew anyway. Fremd also learned a lot about Professor Birch. And she learned that she had arrived when his son was only three. Well. That was an interesting development. That meant... wait. Time continuum paradox alert! Ash was ten when he left Pallet Town. He was thirteen when he met May, or should have been. It had been _over_ three seasons since Ash had left his hometown that he met May Maple. She was ten when they met. At least three years had to have passed and yet, they were the same age. Ten. Ugh. Her head hurt contemplating the paradox. So, she shelved it and rationalized it as The Will of The Fandom at work and left it at that. Who could pretend to understand The Will of The Fandom? Well, who _sane_ anyway. Yeah, Fremd was a little cynical, but hey! Could you blame her? Realizing the nonsensical ramblings of her thoughts, Fremd focused solely on her pokemon studies for the rest of her two week crash course.

/*/

Two weeks later, Fremd passed her exam and received her license and pokedex. Her starter was almost chosen for her, though she had been leaning in that direction. One of the four 'Level 5' Torchik Professor Birch had in his lab had taken a liking to Fremd and when he heard Fremd was leaving soon, had attached himself to her leg. She laughed and pulled him off her leg and placed him on the ground beside her. "I guess I'm taking you with me as my starter, huh little guy?" she asked with a kind smile. Torchik had let out a trilling call. "Now, I will be planning on evolving you to your final form of Blaziken, and I am uncomfortable calling a friend by race or species, so I'll give you a name you can bare the rest of your life. How do you like Blaze Fist? I can call you Blaze for short," she told the little bird. He had given her what she figured was a smile and chirped. Again, she could only infer what it meant, but she got a feeling of happy agreement.

"Well then, it looks like you're ready for your adventure to begin," Birch said, looking over his latest student. She still wore her boots and bomber jacket, Birch believed those would become her trademark, but the belt had six new pokeballs attached to the left hip and several potions and berries in a pocket to the right. Fremd grinned at him, shrugging her shoulders to settle the large backpack she had on. Attached to the bottom of the pack was a sleeping bag wrapped in a tarp, and to the side were a kettle and a pan. Everything else was inside the main compartments.

"Thank you for all your help, professor Birch. I'll be sure to catch a fast pokemon to relay notebooks back to you... unless you could rig up a device to transport them like the pokedex does an extra pokemon?" she said, titling her head enquiringly. Birch shook his head.

"Not a portable one anyway. You could use the pokemon centers to send them to me, but you said you'd rather avoid human contact." Fremd nodded.

"Yes, though perhaps every two notebooks I could go to a town, send the completed notebooks to you, and buy some new ones. Yes, I do believe that would be the way to do it. However, if I find something amazing, is there a way I could contact you immediately?" she said. Birch thought for a moment, then said,

"Ah-ha! Yes, why didn't I think of this sooner? Here, this is a pokenav. It works as a GPS, portable video phone, and visitor's pamphlet all in one!" Fremd took the device, which looked a lot like a DS3D, and nodded to the professor.

"Again, thank you for your help professor. I'll do my best to help you in your research, though I don't think I'll be able to include any sketches," she said. Birch smiled widely.

"That you're doing this at all is a help. And your pokenav should be able to function as a camera should you need it," he said. Fremd nodded, thinking a pokenav was just a glorified, poke-fied, I Phone It even looked a little like the I Phone 6! Nodding to the professor, Fremd left the lab and set out for the forest. She didn't know what kind of pokemon she'd encounter, but she was going to tour the wildest places in Hoenn, with a few stop overs at pokemon centers to send notebooks to Birch or heal her pokemon. She also decided that if she stumbled across a good pokemon doctor she'd ask to study pokemon medicine, just so she could keep her pokemon alive until she got to a center if the need arose. She also decided she'd talk with breeders she came across to learn about berries and their effect on pokemon.

/*/

Fremd pulled out her pokenav and scrolled through the apps as she walked. Seeing a journal app, she grinned. It would be kinda cool to keep a personal travel log without being weighted down by countless notebooks. She opened the app and began her log.

/*/

_April 10__th__, 1998._

_ My first full day as a wanderer in the land of pokemon is drawing to an end, and already I have captured a pokemon. Okay, capture might be a bit strong. I rescued a female pikachu from a river before lunch. She decided to stay with me and Blaze Fist, my starter torchik, and I gave her the name Stacy. Not sure why Stacy seemed a good name, but she seems to like it so I guess it all works out. So far this whole thing has been peaceful. Almost relaxing. But I know the darkness is coming. My mission will begin in ten years and my target is only three at the moment. A part of me wants to go to Pallet and play with him, become a presence in his life before we must travel together, but the rest of me wants to stay away, stay mysterious. A wandering hermit with nothing but my wits and my pokemon to sustain me. Still, I'm not too sure how this will all work out. Will I be able to live off the land like I plan? And what about battery life for this Pokenav and my pokedex? Do they need to be charged? Could Stacy charge them? Perhaps a weak Static Shock type thingy while holding the tines of the charger cord would provide the proper amount of electricity to charge the device? Hum... I will need to test this theory. Ah! Tree! Time to focus on where I'm walking._

/*/

After wandering in the forest for a bit, Fremd found a nice quite place to sit and take in the beauty of nature. She had been sitting and resting for a few minutes when she heard a sound to the right. It sounded, at first, like a splash and from there she heard frantic calls. "Pika! Pika pichu!" Fremd leapt up and dashed in the direction of the calls and found a river with a young pikachu being swept up in the current. Without another thought, Fremd pulled out her rod and hooked the little mouse pokemon.

"I got'cha, I got'cha, don't worry," she called to the frightened mouse. Slowly, she reeled the pokemon in. Once the pikachu was on dry land, it looked at her with its head tilted to the left. Fremd smiled at the creature. "I couldn't very well leave you to die, now could I? Here, I'll help you dry off and then you can be on your way, just remember to be careful of running water alright?" she said. Blaze hopped over and started talking to the pikachu while Fremd shook her head and got out a towel. "I was going to use this towel for Blaze when I needed to rub him down, but I think you, little lady, should use it. I promise it's clean," she said, walking over to the pikachu that had the tell-tale notch in her tail. Fremd quickly toweled her off then moved back. "There! All dry," she said with a smile. The pikachu looked over at Blaze and started chattering. Blaze tilted his head, then looked over at his trainer. Fremd shook her head and walked off to begin lunch, anticipating the pikachu staying. As she prepared the food, she thought about what she would call the pikachu if she decided to travel with her.

"Torchik!"

"Blaze! How did your talk go?" Fremd said, turning to her starter. Blaze pointed a wing at the pikachu.

"Tor! Torchi chik torchik tor!" he chirped, sounding rather happy.

"Is she staying for lunch?"

"PIKA!" the pikachu answered, hopping forward. Fremd smiled.

"I'll take that as a yes, shall I?" she said kindly. The little pikachu smiled and nodded. "Well then, have some of this," Fremd prompted, pushing a small bowl of pokefood toward her. As she watched the little mouse pokemon eat, Fremd though of names for her. Finally, she settled on Stacy. She wasn't sure why she thought Stacy was a good pikachu name, but it seemed to fit the rodent in front of her. "Well Blaze, what do you think? Should I invite her to travel the wilderness with me?" she asked.

"Tor Torchik!" Blaze answered, hopping slightly. Fremd laughed and turned to the pikachu. She found two dark brown eyes looking back at her in shock.

"What? You thought I'd feed you then leave without giving you a chance? No. Pikachus have a very special place in my heart, and I would be happy to have you along. I'd even give you a nick-name. What do you think of Stacy?"she said. The pikachu smiled and bounced, letting out happy squeaks. Fremd laughed. "Stacy it is. Do you want to battle Blaze, or go straight to the pokeball? After you are officially registered as my pokemon, you will have the choice of staying in your pokeball or walking with me outside the pokeball," she said, pulling out an empty pokeball. Stacy reached up and tapped the button, instantly getting captured. "Well, that answers that," Fremd said, blinking. She released Stacy and the little mouse ran up to sit on her shoulder looking quite pleased with herself. "My first day as a trainer and I already have two pokemon. This is going to be interesting," Fremd said, patting the mouse on her head. Yes, this whole thing would be... _interesting_.

/?/

A/N: So, there you have it. The introduction of the character and the overall plot. I hope I mixed the humor and seriousness well enough. If you see anything that needs fixing, let me know. Until next time,

regenengel3.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Pokemon. If I did, Ash wouldn't be such an idiot, Gary would be less annoying about his 'skill,' and trainers would attend regular school until setting out at eighteen. I do, however, own Fremd. The plot... eh. It's all been done before, am I right? So, without further ado...

**Chapter 3:** Harder than Believed

Fremd set up camp under two arching branches that could hold her tarp over her sleeping bag like a tent. She built a fire pit and filled it with grass and small strips of bark before layering small twigs atop that. "Blaze, would you do the honors?" she said, waving toward the little fire. The happy torchik chirped and let out an ember attack. The grass and twigs ignited instantly and Fremd carefully added thicker branches to the fledgling fire. "Thank you very much Blaze. I knew a fire type would be handy. Not that I chose you just for that. I hope we can really become good friends... the fact that your evolutions are fire/fighting dual typed is just icing on the cake," she said. Blaze chirped. He knew she planned on sparring her fighting type pokemon and was looking forward to when he could help her train just as she helped him. Stacy watched, slightly amused, as the human woman cooked over the fire. Fremd looked over and smiled at the little mouse. "Yeah, I bet this is pretty weird to you, isn't it? Well, you see, humans can't always eat the same things a pokemon can. Sure we can eat berries, though some are poisonous to us, and there are greens that we can eat as well as nuts, but we like to eat meat as well. When I fish, I won't just be looking for pokemon. I'll be looking for your regular, everyday, fish to eat. Perhaps a squirrel now or then, but I don't think I could handle carving up anything besides a fish. If you'd like, you can help me gather berries so I don't have to keep running to the pokemart to buy you food. Plus, berries make excellent toppings. Humans would just have to eat more than you or Blaze," she rambled. Stacy thought it was amusing. Blaze shook his head. She was odd, true, but she was kind and willing to listen. Fed and watered, the trio settled down to sleep, Fremd laying her two pokeballs beside her sleeping bag, slightly hidden. "I sleep heavily, so I want your pokeballs out of sight, but where you can get to them if you want," she explained as she snuggled down into her sleeping bag. Blaze decided to roost in the tree above her while Stacy curled up next to her feet. She may have been captured, but there was only so far she was willing to go.

/*/

The next morning, Fremd was grumpy. She hadn't slept too well the night before. "Stupid twigs. Stupid embers. Stupid stars. Stupid nocturnal pokemon making noise all hours of the night. Stupid rocks. I hate mornings," she grumbled as she heated up water and pulled out a double walled metal cup, two plastic containers, and a small bag filled with smaller bags along with a spoon. Stacy watched curiously as her trainer put a spoonful of honey, four spoonfuls of the white crystal powder, and a smaller bag than the previous two into the cup and then poured hot water over the whole lot. "Thank you Arceus that they sold Earl Grey in Littleroot. And that they have honey and sugar in this crazy world," she said softly as she breathed in the scent of the tea. "Though... if I'm going to have my tea fix... dang it! I'm still tied to the human world! Gargh! Eh, oh well. Breakfast time!" she said, setting aside her tea to start her breakfast. Once it was set to cooking, she set out two bowls of pokemon food then pulled the tea bag out of her travel mug and dropped it in a small hole by the fire pit. That done, she ate her food, then sat back with her slightly cooled tea to enjoy the morning, even if she was sore from sleeping on the ground all night. After breakfast, Fremd decided that she should see about training her two pokemon. Blaze she knew was all for it, but what about Stacy? Shaking the thought from her head, she turned to Blaze and pulled out her pokedex. "Let's just refresh my memory on what moves you know, Blaze," she said softly. "Okay, so... level 5... Scratch, Growl and Ember. Alright, see that stump there? Show me how strong your Scratch is by attacking it," she said, pointing to the stump in question. Blaze chirped and attacked, leaving tiny scratches in the wood. Fremd hummed, examining the marks. "For being made by bird claws, these aren't too bad. However, as a pokemon, you could probably make them deeper. Would you practice adding more power to your scratch while I talk with Stacy?" she said, giving her torchic a questioning look. Blaze nodded and attacked the stump once again while Fremd turned to Stacy the Pikachu. "Do you want to train to battle, or do you simply want to travel and be protected?" she asked. Stacy jumped up and let out a slightly weak Thunder Shock. Fremd smiled. "Battle then?" Stacy nodded and Fremd scanned her. "Level 7. Known moves... Thunder Shock, Tail Whip, Growl and Play Nice. Not bad Stacy, not bad. But now it's time to see how strong those moves are." Fremd looked around, but couldn't find a good target, and personally, she wasn't sure what Play Nice was, much less how to train her in that move. Thunder Shock and Growl were all pretty self explanatory, but that? Not so much. She sighed. Not her lucky day. Oh well. "Show me Play Nice please," she asked. Stacy squeaked and complied. Yellow sparkles flew out from her and Fremd felt her fighting spirit drop a bit. She smiled. "Oh, so that's what it does. I'm guessing this effect would translate into reduced attack strength. Alright, lets see... how about Tail Whip? Show me what you got girl!" she said, trying to be happy and peppy about the whole thing when she was actually starting to feel a little overwhelmed. WHAT THE HECK WAS SHE THINKING?! WHAT GRASS WAS ARCEUS CHEWING WHEN HE THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA?! There was no way this was going to work. Nada. Zip. Ziltch. Zippo. Zilla. None. Then she heard a rather angry sounding,

"_Torchic!_" and felt a sharp beck peck her. She turned in surprise and saw Blaze glaring at her intently, like he had heard her thoughts. "Torchic torchi chic tor torchic chic tor tor chi ik tor!" Fremd looked at her starter in shock. She didn't need to understand pokespeech to understand she just got told.

"You really think I can do this?" she asked softly. Blaze nodded emphatically and Fremd smiled sadly. "Thanks pal, but do you even know of my mission?" she asked. Blaze scoffed like only a torchic could. Fremd laughed, but rubbed the bird pokemon's head. "Thanks Blaze. If you're willing to try to be the very best with a cut-rate trainer like me, who am I to turn you down?" she asked. Blaze nodded.

/*/

After seeing Stacy start Tail Whipping beside him, Blaze turned to look at his trainer. Fremd was sitting there, balanced on the balls of her feet, watching them with a wistful smile. Then, as he watched, her face fell and she started to look sad, panicked, and full of blind rage all at once. "Fremd!" he exclaimed quietly. Stacy looked over and noticed the look on his face.

"What about her?" she asked, a little worry entering her voice.

"Look!" Blaze said, nodding toward their trainer who's normally bright blue/gray eyes were glazed and panicked, like she had been attacked by a Haunter or something.

"There's no way this will work. How did I ever agree this was a good thing?" Fremd muttered. Stacy shivered. Her trainer should never look so... _defeated_. It just wasn't right. Then she saw Blaze get really upset. She wouldn't say he was mad, but he certainly wasn't happy.

"JUST WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!" he roared. Funny thing was, Stacy felt sure all Fremd heard was a rather angry sounding 'torchic.' How did a whole sentence fit into one word? Not even Pokemon knew. "Don't you dare think of giving up before you've begun, Fremd!" Blaze chirped angrily. Their trainer stared at the fire bird, then gave a wobbly sort of smile.

"You really think I can do this?" she asked softly. Blaze nodded emphatically and Fremd smiled sadly. "Thanks pal, but do you even know of my mission?" she asked. Blaze scoffed like only a torchic could. Fremd laughed, but rubbed the bird pokemon's head. "Thanks Blaze. If you're willing to try to be the very best with a cut-rate trainer like me, who am I to turn you down?" she asked. Blaze made the torchic equivalent of a smile as he bobbed his head.

"Now you're getting it, silly human. Now you're getting it," he said before hopping off her lap and going back to his Scratch practice. Stacy just stared.

"Only one day..." she whispered, disbelieving. Blaze gave her a torchic grin.

"She had been at the lab for two weeks before we set out. So, no, it hasn't been only one day. Though... I felt drawn to her the moment I saw her. Almost like I was begin told, 'she's the one. She's going to be the most exciting person to pair with.' And then she told me her mission from Arceus and I knew... that feeling had been right. Even if it takes years, we're going to be in the middle of some of the most earth shaking events ever," he said. Stacy was feeling a bit overwhelmed now, but shook it off and looked back over at Fremd who was watching, a twinkle back in her stormy eyes. A new determination filled the electric type and she renewed her practice, wanting to be the very best she could be. Twenty minutes later, Fremd called a break and set them up with water and berries before moving to a semi-clear area and running in place. Stacy turned to Blaze, a question in her eyes. She saw open admiration in his. "This... this right here. This is what she was doing when we first met Stacy. Watch, it's rather amazing the way she moves, once she's done with the warm up," the fire bird said, watching with rapt attention. So, Stacy settled down to watch their trainer train just as Fremd had watched them.

/*/

Five minutes of slowly increasing activity, and Fremd stilled for a moment, taking in a deep breath, before she loosed a flurry of attacks into the air around her, twisting, jumping, dodging, sinking, then springing back up to her full height. Stacy was a little amazed at the moves her trainer had. She was like a fighting type using a really high level Close Combat attack! Of course, she couldn't gauge the actual power, but the speed... She clapped when Fremd stopped moving. The human shot the pokemon a happy, fierce, smile, then did the whole routine again. At a fourth the speed. At such low speed, the routine looked almost like a dance. That done, Fremd started to stretch out. Stacy decided that looked like something she could do, and so tried to join in. Fremd chuckled, but let the mouse try. "Alright! So, do you want to train type moves or status moves next?" she asked as she wiped sweat from her brow. Stacy thought for a moment, then dashed over to her target and sent out a mid level Thunder Shock. Fremd smiled and turned to Blaze. "Ember or Growl?" she asked. Blaze turned to the fire pit and unleashed a slightly above mid level ember on it. Fremd chuckled. "Ember it is," she relented. She had them train, in ten minute sessions with three to five minute breaks for water and a quick snack if needed, the rest of the day. Fremd pulled out her pokenav and opened the journal app. "Might as well make it nightly," she muttered before she began to type.

/*/

_April 11__th__, 1998._

_ Well, my second day as a trainer is coming to a close as dinner settles in our bellies. I must say, Blaze has a lot of faith in me. What made having me as a pokemon trainer a good idea? Stacy has a rather nice move pool, and decent strength, but from what I've seen, most of the other trainers would consider her weak and not a battler. Blaze is shaping up nicely, though I'm not too sure what I'm doing. How am I going to train him to use his ember attack to the fullest? And then there's sleeping outside in nothing but my Pjs and a sleeping bag. Not to mention the light. It was so hard to sleep last night! And even after I had spent nearly the whole day walking! Ugh. I am _not_ a happy camper. Arceus is insane. It's late. I hate rocks. I wonder if there's a pokemon who could make the ground soft but firm enough that I wouldn't sink into the ground if I laid on it? Hum... quicksand, if the attack is weak enough, might work. But is that even a move, and if it is, is there a pokemon with a move like that, and where would I find it? I do not like this life I have chosen, but it's better than dealing with a whole bunch of idiots all the time. I wonder if I'll dream of unicorns tonight._

/*/

Realizing that she was getting a bit loopy, Fremd closed her electronic journal and tried to get some sleep. She was met with limited success. Rocks dug into her back, light urged her to look around, there were noises everywhere, and the smells were all weird. Again, she woke up grumpy. Grumbling, she made her tea once more and settled on a log, glaring at the world. Blaze shook his tiny head at his trainer, but knew there was nothing he could do. He couldn't make the ground more comfortable for her, and he couldn't block out sounds or smells or light. He sighed to himself and presented himself for training. Fremd smiled at him. "Well Blaze, I think we should move on. I don't want to stay in one place longer than a day or so," she said. Blaze gave a bird shrug and hopped/fluttered onto her head. Fremd smiled, then looked at Stacy. "Want a ride?" she asked, crouching down. Stacy leapt onto her shoulder and surveyed the world around her as her human walked. Fremd was odd, and almost always moving, but Stacy found that she liked that. They walked for half the day, then trained after lunch. Fremd had Blaze practice Growl while Stacy practiced Thunder Shock on him. Blaze was encouraged to dodge, while Stacy was encouraged to track him and speed up the attack. This also helped Stacy overcome Growl, which the little mouse was grateful for. Blaze, meanwhile, was trying his hardest to make his Growl so effective, it would make Stacy stop attacking him. He was of the opinion that Fremd was secretly a sadist. They followed a similar pattern to the day before with the pokemon training for ten minutes at a time. However, this time, Fremd did her exercises at the same time as her pokemon. That night she laid down with a groan. "I so need to find a river soon. I want to take a bath!" she said. Blaze chirped a laugh while Stacy shivered slightly. Rivers were not her favorite things in the world. Fremd noticed and chuckled softly. "Don't worry Stacy, I won't be putting you in the water. I might rub you down with a moist towel, but I won't dunk you. Almost drowning tends to traumatize one," she said with a smile. Stacy grinned back.

/*/

_April 12__th__, 1998._

_ Bathing pokemon is... troublesome. Bathing electric and fire types is... very troublesome. Bathing in a river in the forest is... revealing, freezing, and slightly humiliating. I felt so vulnerable bathing out there. I wonder if a rock pokemon could use Rock Tomb to give me a little shelter. Hum... what to do with a rock type pokemon when one joins me... if one joins me... if I find one... The stars are bright. Wild pokemon don't know how to be quite. The forest smells more than my room back home. The ground is hard. My hair still feels greasy. I hate my life._

/*/

Blaze and Stacy were beginning to see a trend with their trainer. This was the third day she had woken up after a night of tossing and turning. The third day she was grumbling about rocks and smells and light. Something had to be done. "She should just break down, go back to town, and buy a sleep mask and ear plugs!" Blaze suddenly huffed, though he made sure to do so quietly. Fremd had radio ears. Stacy giggled at the ruffled torchic.

"Maybe, but I get the feeling she doesn't like other humans very much," she said. Blaze shook his head, looking at their grumpy trainer sadly.

"She... she's had tragedy in her life. She's an orphan and found herself out of a job very suddenly, so she couldn't buy food, and then she had an accident and turned up looking rather rough. The human world has been hard on her, and I think she's lost quite a bit of faith in her race. Don't be too harsh on her, Stacy. It wouldn't be fair at all," he said. Stacy hummed, moved by the tenderness in the torchic's eyes, the sadness in his voice. Just then, Fremd shook herself and started her warm up. Stacy hopped over and started copying her. Blaze smirked, then hopped over and started practicing Scratch. They trained until lunch, then dismantled the campsite and moved deeper into the forest. Blaze and Stacy noticed Fremd scribbling in a paper notebook, a slight frown on her face, but didn't say anything. Blaze knew she was writing down anything and everything she was noticing the habits and distribution of pokemon in the area, but he didn't know why she was frowning.

/*/

_April 13__th__, 1998._

_ My fourth day as a pokemon trainer has ended. I feel dirty, grimy, sweaty, greasy, and I have had a head ache since noon yesterday. I hate my life. Blaze and Stacy seem to be doing well though, so there's that. I want a bed. And a bath. And a decent meal. And for Arceus to realize what an idiotic idea this was and send me home. Heh, yeah, like that will ever happen. Arceus is a... no. I won't type it. But I am most certainly _not happy_ with that freaky talking horse thing! Evil, plotting, carrot loving, hay munching, fireball lobbing, freaky talking bronco with a thing for weed... s._

/*/

Fremd was very grumpy. Extremely. Blaze was considering running back to the lab just to get her to a place where she could sleep in a bed after a good long bath. Stacy was considering jumping into a river and avoiding Fremd's rod just to have her get good and wet. They didn't even train that day! They just walked! The two pokemon were beginning to get a little worried about their trainer. Fremd finally sat down on a log with a sigh. "Why did I ever agree to this? It's far harder than I thought it would be," she said. Blaze sighed while Stacy fell back on her tail. Finally, the aggravation driven human stopped! Maybe now she would relent and go back to civilization. Or capture another pokemon. Maybe a new friend could help! Most of the pokemon in the forest had seen how Fremd treated the two of them, how she trained alongside them. Surely one of the wild pokemon in the forest would decide she would make a good trainer for them. Fremd sighed and twisted down to the forest floor, stretching out and heaving an even larger sigh. "But I can't go back on my decision. This is how I'm going to live my life. Just me, my pokemon companions, and the wide wilderness. It's always a good idea to know how to live off the land in a world like this," she said, looking up at the shifting canopy above her. Blaze groaned, shaking his head, while Stacy had to admire her trainer's stubbornness. She was like a Mankey! Bi-polar, strong, and unrelentingly stubborn. Another pokemon, hidden in the bushes, was watching and admiring the determination of Fremd, but now was not the time to come forward. No. He would wait until she got that sleeping problem fixed. He didn't want to deal with a grumpy human every morning if he didn't have to.

/*/

Arceus watched his chosen's chosen teacher with a mild sense of unease. She really didn't like him. Like... _really really_ didn't like him. As in, he feared that if she ever came face to face with him again she'd try to strangle him didn't like him. But he couldn't send her back like she wanted. She was dead and buried in that other world. This was the life she had now, what she did with it was her choice. Why she chose the path of the hermit, he didn't know, and didn't really care. Another point of unease was... "It's been four days and she only has two pokemon! How is she going to become this super amazing trainer that Ash would want to travel with if she never even _considers_ challenging a pokemon?! Not all of them were going to be so enamored with her that they'd willingly follow her! Not even if she rescued them! I should push a mankey into her path just to get her riled up."

"I will never train a mankey. They're too similar to me, I wouldn't be able to handle it," Fremd said, glaring slightly. Arceus stared at the sight in disbelief.

"Did you... are you talking to me?"

"A meditite wouldn't be bad, but I'd have to go to the mountains for that," Fremd said, relaxing. Arceus glowered at his magic glowy window of awesomness.

"You're mocking me, aren't you?" he asked. Fremd just picked herself up, brushed leaves off her back, and said to Blaze and Stacy,

"Well, I think today would be a good day to gather berries, don't you? Blaze, would you be a dear and gather berries for food and put them in a pile here?" She pointed to a spot to her left. "And if Stacy could gather healing berries and put them over here," she pointed to the right, "I'd really appreciate it." Arceus glowered as best he could at the suddenly cheerful Fremd.

"Yes. I do believe you're mocking me," he growled. Mew, who had chosen that moment to pop in on Arceus in the Hall of Origins, giggled.

"Having fun talking to the Viewer, oh mighty Arceus?" she asked. Acreus growled and stalked away, leaving Mew to watch Fremd. The little feline giggled as she watched Fremd sort and pack the berries her pokemon were bringing her. "So, you're the one that has Arceus acting like this," she said, looking closely. She noticed the watching forest pokemon and giggled again. "This might be entertaining after all," she mused. "Play the game well, little human, and I might just help you out," the DNA pokemon said happily before she vanished back to her home haunt.

/*/

_April 14__th__, 1998._

_ Stacy and Blaze helped me gather berries today. Yeah that's... that's about all that happened today. This trainer business is both harder and more boring than I thought it was going to be. Why oh why was I picked for this? Why oh why did I chose to be a semi-hermit? The ground is hard and cold. I hate my life._

/*/

Fremd woke up _very_ stiff and cold. She groused for a good thirty minutes about it. Blaze and Stacy hoped she'd get a good night's sleep soon. They didn't like her when she was grumpy. Though, they could almost feel themselves getting stronger. Blaze's scratch was strong enough to leave decent sized scratches in bark, sometimes revealing pale wood beneath, and Stacy could ignore Blaze's Growl and unleash a Thunder Shock powerful enough to scorch the ground where the electricity struck. Fremd did her best to look happy for them, but they could see the nights of restless sleep were getting to her. They figured it was only a matter of time before she snapped.

/*/

_ April 15th, 1998._

_ More of the same. Blah. Blah. Blah. I hurt all over, and it's not even that time. I love my pokemon, hate my life. Go suck an electro ball, Arceus. You meddling, evil, plotting, carrot loving, hay munching, fireball lobbing, freaky talking bronco._

/*/

Fremd woke up that morning with a deep breath and a small smile. Blaze and Stacy were surprised. Perhaps she had found the answer to their prayers. A good place to sleep. Perhaps they could return here after a day of exploring and sciency stuff? They could only hope. Though, that day was amazing. Fremd was practically a different person after a good night's sleep.

/*/

_ April 16th, 1998._

_ I finally got a good night's sleep! Heather, such a wonderful plant. I will name my first born daughter after you, you sweet, sweet plant. Thank you C. S. Lewis, for telling me heather made the best beds, I am in your debt. I think I'll camp here for a few nights, just so I can sleep! Though... wild pokemon still can't stay quite and the stars are still rather bright and distracting. Luckily, it was cool enough last night to pull the edge of my sleeping bag over my eyes. I still hate my life and dislike Arceus for putting me in this position, but at least I got some _sleep!_ I can live with that. For now. My first notebook for Professor Birch is about a fourth of the way filled and I'm not leaving this forest until is is full! Heh, watch the next five entries be about how I can't fill this darn notebook._

/?/

A/N: So... there's the second chapter. What do you think about:

The format?

Fremd?

The pokemon watching her?

The not-quite-cameo for Arceus and Mew?

The way I portrayed the Legendary Pokemon?

The interaction between Blaze and Stacy?

Let me know in the gray box below!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the names in this story.

**Chapter 4:** Pokenav Journal Spamming and Something New

_April 17__th__, 1998._

_ I am so glad I found that patch of heather! I am _not_ giving up this camping spot. I'll travel for half a day in various direction until I have exhausted what it can show me, then move on. Though... perhaps it would be best to explore this region of the forest in more detail. The constant traveling doesn't seem to be doing much for my note taking project for Professor Birch. Ah well, at least I found a good place to sleep. Note to self, always look for heather when searching out a camping spot._

_/*/_

_ April 18__th__,1998._

_ It's raining. Has been all day. Why? Just... why? There's water in my _boots!_ In. My. _BOOTS!_ Do you know how disgusting it feels to walk around in squishy socks inside leather boots? It's freaking disgusting! And then there's the smell that comes from wet fur, the irritation that come form the water messing up Blaze's and Stacy's special/elemental moves and abilities. Not too sure what all rain does for them, but I've heard more than one irritated sounding torchic/pikachu from the pair. Still only about halfway done with the _first_ notebook and I've been out here for eight days straight. Well, I guess I'll just have to tough it out and see if I can't find a stake out point where I can watch without being detected. Who knows, if it's still raining tomorrow, this might be a chance to observe how rain changes a pokemon's habits. See which species hide from the rain or soak it up. Literally and metaphorically._

_/*/_

_ April 19__th__, 1998._

_ I hate standing in the rain. And sleeping in it. Outside. Yep, you guessed it. Still raining. Though, I have gotten a bit of data out of this. Aside from my growing dislike of rain. And mud. And wet clothing. And wet pokemon. Did you know wet torchic and pikachu get _really_ testy when there's basically nowhere to dry off and hide? Well... _THEY DO!_ Learned that the hard way. Oh yeah, and that's in the notebook too. Not sure if Birch knows all this already, but hey, it's something to write, am I right? … wow. I just made a joke to myself. In a journal. On a camera phone. Okay. I need more people to talk to, pokemon only have one thing to say. One _understandable_ thing anyway. Their name._

_._

_._

_._

_I really don't like rain._

_/*/_

_ April 20__th__, 1998._

_ Rain rain go away, come again another day~! Hum... was there any more to that childhood ditty? I can't seem to recall. Anyway, despite the rain, Blaze and Stacy's training has been progressing well. As has mine come to think of it. Moving swiftly through muddy, squishy, leaf strewn forest paths in pouring rain does wonders for balance. Horrible for self-esteem and pride, but great for balance training. Though, now I need to find a place to wash my clothes. Drat. I'm running out of those. Sure hope the rain will let up tomorrow._

_/*/_

_ April 21__st__, 1998._

_ Still. Raining. That is all._

_/*/_

Fremd glared at the sky. The rain poured down on her, soaking her to the bone. "It's a good thing I don't get sick easily or this weather might just be the death of me," she ground out. In the Hall of Origins, Arceus gulped at the look on his newest paw... _agent_'s face.

"How do you do that?" he asked. Mew, who had once again decided to pop in, giggled at him. "I wish you'd stop doing that Mew. It ruins my image," the Deity Pokemon groaned. Mew flat out laughed.

"Oh you don't need me for that Arcy. You're doing just fine doing that yourself," she said. _THUD._ "Hum. I think that's the first time I've seen you pull a face-wall. Or is it face-pillar? I'm not too sure how to call this one," she said in amusement as Arceus ground his forehead into the nearest pillar.

"There are so many things in there I don't know where to begin," he moaned. Dailga decided to pipe up with,

"Why, the beginning of course! Though... the middle is often fun. Confusing as all get out, but fun. Or you could start at the end, but then it just kinda takes the fun out of it all." Arceus rolled his head around the surface of the pillar until he could glare at the Time Legendary.

"Sometimes, I hate time travelers," he said. Dailga gave his approximation of a grin to his 'father.'

"We live to confuse the Snorlax out of people and pokemon alike. Come on, admit it. You love us," he said cheekily. Arceus groaned again.

"Why must all my children be so cheeky?" he asked. Dailga laughed.

"Not all of us father, just the more destructive/powerful of us are cheeky," he said.

"Why are you here, Dailga?" he asked.

"To annoy you, of course," the Time Pokemon said happily.

"Darn you blasted rain! When will you ever _stop!?_" Fremd called, glaring up into the pouring rain. Dailga twitched, something like a grimace appearing on his face. Mew looked vaguely sick.

"What?" asked Arceus.

"The fantasizes, oh, the fantasizes!" Mew moaned before she flew away. Arceus looked toward Dailga.

"She scares me. I've seen a lot of what she is most likely to do and become and... even now, as a mediocre trainer at best, she scares me," the Time Pokemon whispered. Arceus sighed.

"Why did I ever interfere with her death?" he asked.

"Because the world is going to need a legendary trainer in the near future and you choose Ash Ketchum. Who isn't legendary. Oh he has amazing potential yes, but he isn't anywhere close to legendary. Not by the time we need said legendary trainer. So you pulled in a trainer for the trainer. The legend behind the legend. The one most forget in favor of the student but was legendary in her own right. For that, you needed someone different. Someone who didn't think inside the box. And you choose Janet, whose very nick-name was different. She's just a little bit more angry than you planned on her being," Dailga answered. Arceus glared and the rain down below intensified. Dailga winced again. "That might not be the best idea," he said. Arceus snorted. Then Fremd pulled out her pokenav and began typing. While growling.

/*/

_ April 22__nd__, 1998._

_ Okay. Arceus, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Zappdos, Giant-Wind-Bird-of-Doom, whoever-is-in-charge-of-weather-in-this-crazy-world... stop it! I'm serious! This is getting crazy! Five straight days of pouring rain? Are you insane?! Do I need to come and beat some sense into you?! 'Cause I'll find a way! Where there's a will there's a way and all that. Careful you, because I'm having rather violent fantasizes of Legendary Pokemon feather beds and felt blankets! You have been warned._

_/*/_

Arceus shook his head. "Why did she have to be so violent?" he asked.

"She isn't really. She's just gruff. Though, a few more years..." Dailga said, letting that statement trail off ominously. Arceus sighed.

"She does know we don't really control the weather patterns... right?" Arceus asked. Dailga gave him a flat look.

"You are the Deity Pokemon. Of course you can control the weather patterns of the world below!" he said. Arceus sighed.

"Should I let up?"

"At least give her a break. You've already gotten her thoroughly miserable. And giving her a day won't mess up the weather too much. Come on, throw her a bone." Arceus looked sharply at his son.

"You like her, don't you." Dailga shrugged.

"She's fun. When she's not planning legendarycide."

"Is that even a word?"

"Is now. Get to work on that storm would ya? She's close to the dark side." Arceus shook his head. Again. When did his children get to the point where they could boss him around?

_/*/_

_ April 23__rd__, 1998._

_ The rain has let up a bit, thank goodness. I wonder if any of the legendaries heard my slightly psychotic mutterings and decided to let up? … Nah. Wouldn't happen. Anyway, still only halfway done with that notebook, still sopping wet, still have two testy pokemon following me, and now my campsite I thought was perfect is basically a wetland. I hate my life._

_/*/_

Arceus felt what could only be called an eyebrow twitch. "She hadn't expected us to hear and act? Dailga!"

"Relax father. Breath. It's still good that you let up a bit with the rain. Even the Legendary Trio in the area was wondering what was up," he said. Arceus growled, but relented. Perhaps it had been a bit much to have a five day downpour.

"Oh. So that's who you've been nearly obsessing over. Hum... she's not from this dimension," Palkia said, looking down at Fremd who was once again observing pokemon. In a light drizzle. He glared at her for a moment, then a new 'window' flashed into being. It was her home world. "That's where she's from. Now let's see... ah. She's dead? Wow. Okay. Why?"

"I pulled her from limbo after a motorcycle wreak. She had no family, no real ties. There were no issues," Arceus answered. Palkia shook his head, but accepted it.

"I wonder..." Dialga muttered, then the second window, showing Janet's grave, rewound. The images rushed past, then stopped on her first day of school. From there, it moved forward, just slow enough for them to pick out the major events. When the show was done, the sky in the Pokemon world was dark. Arceus huffed, sitting back slightly.

"And what was that meant to prove?" he asked. Dialga shook his head.

"Brother?" he asked Palkia. The Space Pokemon sighed.

"I do believe Dialaga wanted to prove a point, father. Though... I confess... I'm not too sure what. Perhaps that Janet, or Fremd, is a strong individual in many ways. Emotional, mental, physical, perhaps even spiritual... Or he could have just wanted to play with his time powers. Either works," he said. Dialga nodded, smirking.

"Yep!"

"That... answered nothing," Arceus moaned. The two brothers grinned at their father.

"We know." A dull thud echoed in the Hall of Origins as Arceus once again banged his head against a random, and rather worse for wear, pillar. The two dragons behind him did what could only be called a low-five. Even if they didn't have hands. Or fingers. Yep, they lived to break the laws of physics. And confuse the Snorlax out of people and pokemon alike. Then laugh at their misfortune. Okay, not quite, but they did enjoy it. Down below, a watching pokemon was getting ready to join this strange trainer who had made no move to disrupt the forest... aside from training the torchic and pikachu who traveled with her. Of course, he couldn't just give up and pick a pokeball to link to. No. He was going to fight her. He gave a buggy grin. It promised to be an interesting match, if her training proved anything.

/*/

Fremd sighed as she made two small lines of notes for a full day of watching and observing. "This... is _much_ harder than I thought it was going to be," she said, looking over the neat, thankfully not rain streaked, writing in her book.

"Torchic tor tor chic!" Blaze chirped. Fremd smiled at the little chick by her feet.

"I'm going to say thanks for what I'm fairly sure was a vote of confidence, Blaze. Now, let's see about dinner," she said. Stacy stopped, sniffed, then looked puzzled.

"Pika... chu?"

"Well something's got you confused Stacy, but what?" Fremd questioned, stopping and getting low in an attempt to see what Stacy was looking at. For her part, the little electric mouse couldn't understand why the heracross who had been following them for nearly a week and a half would suddenly enter their campsite. And then just stand there. Of course, Fremd didn't know about the heracross, and so didn't understand why she, Stacy, was surprised. Shaking it off, Stacy bounded forward.

/*/

The waiting heracross knew the trainer and her pokemon would be coming back, knew they were close, and so wasn't entirely surprised when the pikachu burst into the campsite. "What do you want, heracross?" the pikachu asked, small sparks jumping from her electric sacs. Heracross actually took a half step back from the glare the smaller pokemon was giving him.

"I am here to challenge your trainer for a place on her team. I have watched her, as you on doubt know, and have seen how she treats you and herself. I have seen how she watches, takes note, but does not challenge any of the forest's pokemon. I wish to see what traveling with such a trainer would be like," he said. "Lead your trainer here, pikachu."

"Well, if you want on the team, call me by name. Stacy," the pikachu, Stacy, said, sitting back on her lightning bolt shaped tail. "Fremd should be here soon to direct me... or Blaze... or take you on herself. I'm fairly sure she could take you. She's tough." Before heracross could reply to that, the trainer and torchic, Blaze?, entered the campsite.

"Oh. Well hello there. You're a... heracross yeah? Lets see... cross on the horn would make you a male, yes?" Heracross took a good look at the trainer, Fremd, now that he was closer. She was tall, compared to him, and fairly solidly built, for a human female.

"You are bigger and sturdier than most humans I have seen," heracross said. Fremd smiled slightly.

"I'm not even going to pretend I understood what you said, but you seem a little puzzled. Perhaps because I am not like the other trainers you've seen? That might be because I'm older. Most trainers coming out of Littleroot Town are ten years old. I am eighteen, and a full grown adult. Now, why are you here, Mr. Heracross?" she said. Heracross blinked. She hadn't understood, but she answered his question? How did that work? Shaking his head, he pointed at her, then slammed his fist into his opposing palm. Fremd narrowed her eyes and puckered her lips. "A challenge?" Heracross nodded. "Which do you wish to face, Stacy or Blaze?" she asked, standing back to her full height. Heracross shook his head and pointed to her again. The woman blinked, then chuckled. "Stacy told you tales, didn't she? Or could it be... have you been watching me?" she said, shooting Stacy a look. Not waiting for an answer, the woman checked her hair, removed her jacket to reveal fairly well muscled arms, and settled into a back stance. "I'd like to request that you stick to fighting moves, preferably nothing that would scar the landscape. I'm still a human after all," she said, smirking slightly. Heracross nodded, seeing where she was coming from. He decided to use only Arm Thrust and Tackle. That decided, he lunged at her with a quick Tackle. Grinning, Fremd brought her arms up, grabbed his horn, and, using it as an anchor, swung around to land on his back, driving him into the ground.

"I see what you mean, Stacy. She knows a few tricks," heracross said, face still pressed into the ground.

"Come now, heracross! Don't ell me that's done you in?!" Fremd taunted from his back. He managed to growl, then rolled over. Fremd leapt from his back, driving him a little off course, then landed in a crouch to the right. "Come on come on, get me!" she called, grinning wildly. Heracross got back off the ground and launched an Arm Thrust toward the grinning human.

"Stand still!" he growled as she danced around his strikes. She laughed at his grumpy sounding comment, then grinned wider as the attack slowed.

"My turn," she hissed menacingly, before delivering a punishing kick to his stomach. He grunted in slight pain as he skidded backward before digging his feet in and regaining control. Of course, his brief moment of distraction was enough for Fremd. She dashed in close and began landing punch after punch on him. He managed to bring his arms together before him in a block, grunting as the blows landed. Fremd, for her part, was glad she had found those armored motorcycle gloves in Littleroot, and that she had been wearing them. They not only protected her hands, but they lent her blows more power. Not to mention the steel in her boots. While this made them heavy, it did mean she had protection for her feet.

"Oh wow. I can't wait to evolve into a combusken and get a fighting typing. It's one thing to see her training herself, it's another to see her fight," Blaze said, watching his trainer in awe. Stacy nodded, pretty amazed that Fremd was holding her own against the heracross. The fighting bug launched another tackle, and this time Fremd dodged into a roll, then came up with an uppercut to what would be the kidney on a human. Heracross winced slightly, but turned with an Arm Thrust. This time, Fremd didn't wait it out. This time, she dodged in close and tackled the fighting bug herself. Once he was on the ground, she picked up a rock.

"Yes, I realize this might be considered cheating, but you're resistant to fighting type moves, and if I were classified as a pokemon I'd have been using fighting or normal moves, but mostly fighting. So, this is me trying to even the playing field a bit," she said, then bashed the rock into the side of heracross' head. When that didn't knock him out, she rolled off and dropped the rock.

"Why drop the rock? That hurt!" heracross said, rubbing his head. Fremd blinked, clearly trying to puzzle out what he meant by body language.

"Ah. Probably because I wanted to gauge if that would actually work," she said, then dodged to the said again as he came in for a tackle of his own. "Looks like it did to me," Fremd added, then frowned. "Do you mind if I fight with rocks in my hands? I don't know, it seems so... crude to me," she said. Stacy sighed.

"Noble, classy, yet still rough and tumble. Man is our trainer odd," she said in an aside to Blaze. He hushed her and watched the fight intently. Heracross had nodded toward Fremd to show he didn't mind. In fact, he preferred that. It would speed up the fight in any case. Fremd sighed, then bent to pick up a rock before freezing. "Wait... what about a torch?" Heracross glared. "Oh alright. Rock it is then. It just seems so... childish," she said, then finished picking up her weapons. Clashing the rocks together, she then dashed forward, holding them awkwardly as she swung at the surprisingly agile heracross. It took nearly half an hour, but Fremd, drenched in sweat and highly unstable on her feet, caught heracross. "Okay... I think you and I need a bath," she said to the ball, then staggered off toward the river.

/*/

Stacy looked over at Blaze. "I told him I thought she could take him... but I never thought it would go like that. They were both tougher than I thought they would be," she said. Blaze nodded, completely in awe of what he had seen.

"I _really_ want to evolve now. She'll be the most amazing sparing partner! I _knew_ I picked the best trainer in Littleroot! Sure she doesn't know much about pokemon battles at the moment, but she's still amazing!" he said. Stacy shook her head.

"I think you're half fighting type already," she muttered, hopping off to find Fremd. Blaze shook off his awe and called after her,

"Better not, Stacy. I think it would be better if we set up the campsite the way Fremd likes it for when she gets back. Getting dinner halfway ready might be a good idea too." Stacy stopped, considered, then nodded and came back to help the starter with his task. An hour later, two wet and weary fighters entered the camp to face a merrily crackling fire being fed by a... singing?... pikachu who was also tending to two small fish while Blaze was carefully watching four piles of berries. Fremd smiled at the pair.

"At least I have some good friends here now. Well done, now allow me to finish up dinner, yeah?" she said, then moved forward to fix dinner for the four of them.

/*/

_April 24__th__, 1998._

_ Still not done with that notebook, but the rain has finished, I think for good. That's something. And I got a new friend, so that's something else. Not sure what I'll name him yet... Oh yeah! I should record how our battle went! Well, it wasn't normal, I'll tell you that. First, turns out this guy knew a lot about me. Stacy somehow knew he was in the campsite, then dashed off to face him first. I think she talked to him and told him tales about my fighting prowess. Why? He challenged me. Not Stacy. Not Blaze. Me. As in, I had to fight a _heracross_. Myself. Those things are tough! Especially for a human! Oh I landed several good hits over the half hour or so that battle took, but it wasn't until I started hitting him with rocks rather than fists that any kind of headway was made. And the only reason I could claim victory was because I caught him before he tried getting back up. Then we had a bath in the river and came back to camp. When we got back, my sweet, kind, wonderful pokemon Stacy and Blaze had already gotten the fire nice and toasty, parceled out four piles of berries, and caught, stuck, and begun to cook two small fish. I love my pokemon! They're the best! And Heracross looks like he'll be a good sparring partner, as long as he's careful of his more devastating moves until Stacy or Blaze are strong enough to take them. Though, those two are getting quite powerful. Then again, I think it's about time I started really training them again. This fight with heracross, whose name I'm still not sure of... it's... lit a fire inside of me that's driving me forward. It's like... like when I first started taking martial arts. It was scary, it was painful, I was scared witless, but it was so much _fun!_ I'll have to thank hector in the morning. Wait, hector? Hey yeah! That fits! Hector the heracross! I'll ask him what he thinks of the name in the morning as well. Anyway, yeah. It may not have been a fruitful day as far as research goes, but it has been amazing in so many other ways. I just hope I can finish this dang notebook soon so I can get my pokemon checked out and a hamburger. Man, if notebooks go as slow as this all the time, I might just have to shorten the interval to one notebook just to justify going back to civilization! And when I do, I'll spend three days there enjoying baths, beds, and stake. Mmmum, stake._

_/_*/

Heracross liked the name, and so it stuck. Stacy thought it was a good name for him, so it made him happy. Blaze thought his name was still the best, but there were worse things than Hector, and that made him chuckle. Fremd just grinned and laughed at the interaction between the three pokemon. That was what really made Hector feel special. Not that she had named him, but that she enjoyed having him around. He had missed the feeling after he had lost his family group. That day, Fremd set Blaze and Stacy to filling Hector in on her policy and her training methods. Fremd told the three that once the update was done they should practice their weakest move and that the next day she'd oversee status move training. Hector could see she was a little at a loss as to how to train such a thing, but he had to give her points for trying. When she returned, she slammed her book down on her bedding with a snarl. "Two weeks. Two. _Frigging_. _WEEKS_! And I've still got a fourth of a notebook to go before I reach my goal for this forest!" she exclaimed. Hector gave a bug type sigh. And there was grumpy Fremd again. Though, he couldn't quite blame her. Then he thought of something. There was a place in the forest no human had ever reached. Perhaps... perhaps if he went there... Yes. It might just work. Now to tell the other two and have them distract Fremd while he went and talked to the pokemon in the Evolution Glade. He smiled to himself. He was about to be very useful indeed and that made him one happy pokemon.

/*/

_April 25__th__, 1998._

_ Why did I take this job? I could be traveling around, stopping in towns when needed, but no! I'm out here because I'm too stubborn to give up with a notebook that's barely full and I've told myself I'm not leaving until it is full. Grrgh. Ah well, at least I chose the forest first. Not like I'm going to run out of water here. Or berries. The mountains, that's when it's going to get a bit tricky. Yeah... I'll stick to forests and plains for a bit before I try to tackle a _mountain_. Then again, I've kinda enjoyed my time here in this forest. I met Stacy and Hector after all. Meh, that's just how it goes I guess. Win some lose some, as they say._

/?/

A/N: And there you go. The hidden pokemon was a heracross. Let me know how you liked this chapter, what I need to fix, and if the fight and resulting cool down were believable enough. Until next time,

regenengel3


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine.

**Chapter 5:** Finally Out of the Woods

Hector had to admit, Fremd did pretty well training them with status moves. She had them practice on each other, rotating out so that they could all use their moves. He also noticed a problem with his original plan. Fremd was a very hands on trainer. And now that she had a third pokemon with her, she could train them better. Which meant, she was keeping an eye on all three of them. "Hector, when you tackle, lead in with your shoulder to catch your opponent under the arms, then grab so they can't escape," Fremd called out, her eyes far more critical and analyzing than Hector had originally thought. He'd have to sneak out after she was asleep if he was going to go at all. Though, that fault in his plan didn't stop him from following her direction. Even with his partner for the exercise being Blaze, her order improved his execution of the move. "Excellent! Keep it up guys!" Fremd called, seeing how much more effective Hector's move was once he made the correction she suggested. Hector smiled to himself at her enthusiasm. He knew she had had trouble coming to terms with her new lot int life, had seen her tear up when Blaze and Stacy weren't looking, had heard her growl and seen her glare at the sky, though those last two had mostly occurred during a heavy and continual rainstorm. Point was, he knew how special this enthusiasm was and how it had been lacking before their fight. "Okay, now, we're going to work on Stacy's speed. I'd like her to learn Quick Attack, which is a physical attack rather than a status move like the ones she currently has, aside from thunder shock. So, Blaze, I want you to start shooting embers at her while she dodges, alright? Go kinda slow at first and then ramp up the speed as she gets used to it. I'd rather she didn't get massively hurt," Fremd said. Blaze and Stacy nodded and Fremd turned to Hector. "Out of the three of you, you, Hector, have the most actual attacks. So, I'm going to be counting on you to help keep us all safe. I may be strong and quick for a human, but lets face it. All humans have going for them are creativity and dexterous hands. So, think you're up for it? Being our guardian that is," she said. Hector stared at her. Really? She was asking him to be _her_ guardian? He, a heracross defeated by a human with rocks, defend two other capable pokemon and the very woman who had taken him down? He, defend her as if she were helpless? Well, he would help, but she'd have to fight alongside him.

"I'll fight _with_ you, not for you," he said, though he was sure she only heard his species name. Fremd sighed. That didn't sound all that excited, or solemn. In fact, it sounded kind of sulky. How a string of 'hera heracross' could sound sulky, she wasn't sure, but it had.

"Alright. I guess I'll just have to fight off the scary poochyena and mightyena and shiftry and ninjask and gloom all by myself. And they won't be as considerate as you were, using only physical attacks like arm thrust and tackle," she said, sad and slightly mocking. Hector saw right through it and huffed. She was trying to make him worry about her! Though, he also saw her point. He _had_ gone easy on her when they fought. She was only human after all. He sighed. She was right. She couldn't take on less considerate pokemon, she'd get creamed! Killed even, if they were territorial enough, and several were.

"Fine. But help out once in a while. You're better than you think," he said, nodding as he agreed. Fremd smiled at the faintly reluctant and mildly put out agreement.

"Wonderful! Now, let me scan you and see what moves you have," she said, pulling out her pokedex and scanning the fighting bug. Hector took it stoically, knowing she was just doing this because she was a dense human and couldn't tell just by looking what he was capable of. "Let's see... Arm Thrust, Bullet Seed, Night Slash, Tackle, Leer, Horn Attack, and Endure. Not bad, not bad. Okay, so... the most likely next move for you would be... Feint. Hum... nope. Not a clue. Ah well, at least a pokedex is basically a pokemon Wikipedia. Hum... I seem to remember there being a site like that back home. What was it... oh yeah! Buldapedia! Heh, I'm carrying around a fully loaded bulbapedia in my pocket! Okay, focus. Right. Lets see... yeah, that might work. Okay, I'm going to see if I can't help you train up your Endure for now. The best offense is a good defense and all. Besides, you need to know how to take a hit to win a fight, right? So, what we're going to do is you're going to use Endure for as long as you can, and I'm going to practice my aim by throwing either rocks or pine cones at you. Bob your head for which you'd prefer to start out: rocks is one bob and pine cones is two bobs." Hector blinked. Was she for real? Was this really how people trained their pokemon? "Oh don't give me that look! I've only been learning about pokemon for... four weeks? Four and a half? Not as long as most anyway. And there's no real guide for this sort of thing. I am totally winging this. Now, rocks or pine cones Hector. Make your choice soon or I go straight to rocks!" Fremd said, giving him a hard, but not unkind, look. He sighed and bobbed his head once. She smirked. "Big guns first then!" she sang, then started lobbing rocks at him. She started with small rocks, pebbles really, then moved up to medium sized gravel, and finally fist sized rocks as she grew more comfortable with what he could take. And she threw _hard_ for a human female! And fast too. It took less time than Hector thought it would for him to start unconsciously wincing as the rocks came pounding into him. "Are you still using Endure, Hector?" Fremd asked, seeing his winces. He nodded, but she still looked like she was frowning. "I'm hurting you," she stated. He sighed. Shaking her head, she walked over and started running questing fingers over his hard body. Being half bug, he was covered in a hard shell, but he still felt a little tender, and gave his best hiss when she touched the worst spots. She shook her head again. "I can't believe I did such a number on you just throwing rocks. I should have just attacked myself instead. You would have resisted that more," she said, sorrow underlying her words as she sought out the bruises she had given him.

"Fremd... I asked for the rocks. You gave me a choice, remember? And you're right. I need to up my endurance if I'm going to protect you from those pokemon who would kill you for blindly stumbling into their home," Hector said. Blaze heard and came over, having run out of energy to keep shooting Ember at Stacy, who was panting by the fire.

"Me and Stacy think the same Fremd. Don't feel bad, we're happy, honest! You're a great trainer!" he chirped, though Hector could plainly see how tired the little fire bird was. Fremd smiled at Blaze. She could see how tired he was too, but was lifted up a little by his happy sounding chirps.

"Well, I can see you two don't hate me for pushing you like this, even if it gets you hurt. Now, lets see if I can't take the sting out of these bruises so you don't get stiff from them," she said, smiling at Hector. He nodded, wondering if she could actually do that. Turned out, she could. While staying at Professor Birch's lab, she had learned all she could about pokemon care, particularly what to do when a pokemon was injured and there was no pokemon center near by. Soon, Hector was feeling much better. He gave his trainer another considering look. Watching her from afar had told him she was different than other trainers, the fact that she trained herself was proof of that, but it was only now that he was face to face with her that her true personality and skills were displayed for him. Yes, she should be accepted into the Glade with little trouble. She had a good heart and would not abuse the information she gathered.

/*/

Fremd sighed as she worked on Hector. For a bug type using Endure, the rocks had done a number on him. And she had thrown them. That was when it really sank in. These wounds weren't inflicted by a pokemon using rock type moves. They had been inflicted by her, throwing rocks. There was something wrong with that. How could she have been strong enough to hurt him, just by throwing rocks at him? Yes, she had been giving it her all, but he was a pokemon! A bug type pokemon, with a shell! She looked at her hands as she rubbed the paste onto Hector's bruises. They looked the same as always. Small, not all that elegant, slight calluses. Nothing to indicate that she wasn't a normal human. She sighed and shook her head. She was getting ahead of herself. Giving Hector one last look over, she nodded and declared him as fit as she could make him. Hector buzzed at her, bobbing his head in gratitude. Or at least, she thought it was gratitude. Pokemon were often hard for her to understand. "Well now, I suppose I have enough time to observe some more wild pokemon. You can either stay here or come with in your pokeball. I'm not going to have you walking when you're already worn out," she said. Hector trundled over, as did Blaze and Stacy. Fremd chuckled, but returned her pokemon friends and set out. She spent three hours observing a rather docile species before returning to camp. She had made only a short paragraph of notes that day and though her notebook was filling up, she still felt a little upset that it wasn't more. Luckily for her, Hector had a plan. A plan he now realized he could execute during the night.

/*/

Making sure Fremd was asleep, Hector quietly made his way out of the camp. Someone, however, had noticed. "Where are you going, Hector?" Stacy asked. Hector turned to her, wondering if she'd agree it was the best idea... or if she even knew of the Glade.

"I am going to the Evolution Glade to ask permission for Fremd to enter and take notes. Perhaps then, she would reach her goal and we may move on. She is getting rather... antsy. And I think there may be some things she needs to pick up from the human town," Hector answered. Stacy nodded.

"Blaze mentioned something about sleep masks and ear plugs one night, when Fremd was exceptionally grumpy. Maybe they would help her sleep better?" she said. Hector nodded.

"That would be good, and seems the most likely use behind those items. But tell me, why have you not thought of the Glade before now?" he asked. Stacy shrunk back.

"I've never been. My mother... she didn't want me to leave the burrow. I... ran away from home before she had a chance to take me to the Glade, though she didn't seem like she would. It wasn't until I left that I heard of it, and by then I'd been a Pikachu for a year," she said, cheeks sparking in embarrassment. Hector was a little stunned that such a dedicated pokemon as Stacy had been virtually a shut in.

"Why wouldn't she let you out?" he asked. Stacy shifted from foot to foot.

"I... may have... been a _tad_... useless," she said. Hector blinked.

"Useless?" he asked. Stacy sighed.

"I didn't spark until I was two years old," she said. Another blink from the bug.

"What?" he asked, too stunned to say anything else. Stacy sighed, turning back to the campsite.

"Forget I said anything. Good luck with your errand," she said, scampering off to curl up beside Fremd, who reached out and lazily pet her as if on instinct. Hector shook his head, but kept going. He needed to get there and back before dawn, when Fremd would begin waking up.

/*/

Fremd woke up to find Hector staggering back into their camp. She frowned. She had thought he was asleep when she laid down. He was a good actor. Then again, as a giant bug, she acknowledged that she was limited in her understanding of him. "Hey Hector. Rough night?" she asked softly, the other two still sleeping. Hector jerked, then shook his head. She frowned. "Couldn't sleep?" she asked. Another shake of the head and she sighed. "We're not going to get anywhere if you keep acting like that, Hector. Come on, tell me. What's eating you?" she asked. He gave her a look. "Okay, so I won't understand what you say but come on! I need something to go on here!" she exclaimed. Hector shook his head and fell into a heap, asleep. Fremd let out an aggravated huff, but left the bug to sleep and instead set to work with Blaze and Stacy a ways into the forest. It was obvious something had happened, but the human wasn't about to get anything from the pokemon. She couldn't understand his language. They came back for lunch and found Hector already eating. Fremd smiled. "Back on your feet and already adopting my eating schedule, huh? So, ready to attempt letting me in on what you were doing last night?" she said. Hector gave her his best approximation of a smile and motioned her to sit down. She frowned slightly, confused, but did so. He pushed her food toward her and she ate, though still perplexed. Once she was done with her lunch, she followed a very excited Hector. "Where are we going Hector?" she asked. He chirred his name at her in response, though she expected that. It was the near shame Stacy seemed to be exhibiting that had her worried. Then they broke out of the trees and her breath was stolen, along with the strength in her legs. Falling bonelessly to the forest floor she gazed out over a field of mossy stones and shards of crystal in all the colors of the rainbow, shining in the sun in a dazzling array, highlighted by the light of pokemon evolving. "What is this place?" she breathed in awe. Hector chirred again, clearly pleased by her reaction. She looked at him in shock. "You asked for me to be allowed here, didn't you? This doesn't seem like something wild pokemon would enjoy humans knowing about," she said softly. Hector nodded, then looked toward the opposite edge of the glade. Fremd followed his line of sight and saw a gardevoir watching her. She looked straight into it's red eyes, and could feel it entering her mind with a physic connection.

'You are Fremd?' a smooth female voice echoed in her mind. Fremd couldn't move, couldn't honestly think, but she knew the gardenvoir could feel her agreement. 'Hector, your heracross, asked for you to be granted access to the Evolution Glade that you may take note of the habits of wild pokemon. He was unclear of what purpose this served. However, I was curious and allowed you to come. Tell me, why have you?' Fremd didn't think she could explain it in words, so she thought,

'Let me show you," and pulled forward her last moments on what she called Earth, her meeting with Arceus, staying with Birch, agreeing to help with his research, setting out, flashes of her notebook entries, her promise to herself not to leave the forest until she filled the notebook, and finally her wonder of what she saw when she entered the Glade. Gardevoir pulled back, physically as well as psychically, and looked at her in something approaching awe and... was that sadness? Pity?

'Chosen Trainer, Legendary Teacher, Mythical Mentor, you will have a hard life, and a long one. Many names, many faces, much power... and much loss. I am sorry, Great One. Sorry for what you will face. Please, follow me. I would give you a gift,' she said, motioning the trainer forward. Fremd followed the stately psychic/fairy to center-right, where the pokemon lifted a thunder and a fire stone from the ground. 'When the time is right, you will know what to do. I wish you luck, Great One,' she said, giving Fremd another looked of awed pity. 'Observe and fill your book, mighty warrior, but do not provide a map nor description of how to find this place. Only you are allowed here,' the gardevoir added before vanishing into the forest. Fremd shook her head, then sat on a rock, pulled out her pencil, and filled the rest of her notebook over the course of three hours. When she finished, she put her materials into the bag she never went anywhere without, and simply enjoyed the joy and energy filling the Glade. It was truly restful and invigorating, being around so many evolving pokemon in a site that had witnessed countless more in times long past. As the sun went down, she witnessed a few more evolutions that required the night or moonlight and was blown away yet again. She made sure she had a note of the mannerisms of the evolving pokemon during the evolution before gathering her things, and composure, before bowing to the pokemon and taking her leave of the Glade.

/*/

_April 27__th__, 1998_

_ Okay, so I skipped a few days, but what I discovered it those two days was amazing! Pokemon are far more intelligent than I had anticipated. Hector knew of a place in the forest where pokemon go to evolve. The ground is covered in evolution stones and the energy in the air is nearly overpowering. And the gardevoir who guards the glade told me that I would have a long, hard life. Ha! Like I didn't know that before! Still, I'll never forget the sight, or the tingling feel of evolution energy that has soaked into the very earth. I have seen something precious, something almost sacred, have been trusted with this information. I feel truly honored. And I was even permitted to write down my observations! I hope Professor Birch will be careful with this knowledge. It has the potential to be very damaging to the pokemon if someone gets it in their head to desecrate one of those Glades. Oh yeah, one more thing, aside from the titles the gardevoir called me, she gave me two stones. A thunder and a fire. She told me I'd know what to do, when the time was right. I can only assume she gave me the stones I'd need to evolve my team, but why a fire stone? Unless I someday catch a pokemon who needs a fire stone... hum. An arcanine would be nice, and they evolve from a growlithe with a fire stone. Gardevoir's can see the future, perhaps she saw me with an arcanine? Nice. And I won't have to buy or find a stone when it's time for him/her to evolve! I really should have thanked her, but I was too stunned. It was all I could do to follow her to the spot where she selected the stones! So... yeah. That happened. And now... I can finally get out of this forest! YAY! Alright, time for bed. Good night!_

/*/

The next morning, Fremd carefully wrapped the evolution stones and placed them in a special pocket in her bag, probably meant to hold gym badges as the pack was specially made for trainers, and went on her way. She stopped at the pokemon center first, getting her companions checked out. The Nurse frowned as she looked over the three. "You've been a trainer for how long?" she asked. Fremd sighed.

"Since April 9th. And yes, I only have the three I gave you. I'm helping Professor Birch with his research more than looking for pokemon. Honestly, I'd rather be a hermit than a trainer. The world is full of stupid people. Though, I would like a psychic pokemon, it would give me someone to have a conversation with," she replied. A twitch was developing under her left eye, though she wasn't sure if it was from annoyance with the condescending Nurse or just a random occurrence. She had gotten twitches like it when she had been living alone and reading too, so it was hard to tell.

"Oh! Your Fremd! I'm sorry, I should have realized... no matter. Your pokemon should be ready to go in an hour. They were overdue for a check up and your heracross seems rather worn down." Fremd smirked.

"Yeah, but he's a tough ol' bug, that's for sure. Cheeky thing challenged me to a one-on-one duel, though he restricted himself to Tackle and Arm Thrust and allowed me to hold rocks in my hands during the fight. Still took a good half hour to wear him down enough to capture. And he's the only one with a decent move pool at the moment, so he's taking the brunt of the physical training. Anyway, I have a delivery for Birch, so I'll be leaving my team in your care," she said, leaving with a wave over her shoulder. She dropped by the lab and left the notebook with the professor before breaking down and heading to the department store and buying ear plugs and a sleep mask. She made sure it was a dark green though. No way was she wearing a _pink_ one. Honestly. After stopping by the paper department and picking up another notebook and then the outdoors department for some climbing gear, Fremd went back to the Pokemon center for a shower and a good nights sleep before heading out in the morning, her pokemon following her. Birch watched her go, wondering if the mountains would do what the forest had failed to do. Drive her completely insane.

/*/

Fremd sang to herself as she walked along, marveling at the world around her as she walked. It was amazing being out of the forest after three weeks there. "I really think I'll enjoy the mountains more than the forest. More sunlight, less bloodsucking insects. Wonderful. Though... I should have bought sunscreen. Ah well, I hear there's a psychic/fighting type that lives in the mountains, maybe we'll get a new member on the team?" she said, looking over at her team. They didn't seem to excited, but Fremd didn't care. She was out of the woods.

/?/

A/N: Okay, not my best, I'll admit. But I was getting tired of the forest too! Let me know what you want to see in the next chapter! Let's have some fun with it shall we?


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: … Nah. Not really mine. A few names, a few situations but really... I'm playing with a game/manga/anime. It's all good.

**Chapter 6:** What's a Pancham doing in Hoenn?!

_May 7__th__, 1998._

_ So... it's been about a week and a half since I left the forest behind and so far the plains have been beautiful. It hasn't rained, I haven't been attacked, not even challenged by a trainer! Though, can't say I think that's a bad thing. I don't think I'd be a very good battler, and Blaze, Stacy, and Hector aren't really ready for a full on battle right now. Okay, Hector might, but not the other two. I haven't really trained them all that much. Ah well, I'll find a good spot soon and set to work on them then. Perhaps I can do that tomorrow, set up camp for a week or so and just train. Hum... that actually sounds nice._

/*/

Fremd did indeed find a nice spot, right by a wide, shallow, bend in a lazy river, on the 8th, of May. She set up her sleeping bag, then moaned at not having trees or a few convenient rocks to spreed her tarp over in case it rained. The three pokemon wished they could help her, but aside from holding the tarp over her bed themselves, there was nothing they could do. Besides, her sleeping bag was on the ground it's self so there was little chance of her getting through a rainstorm without getting at least a little wet. Sighing and shaking her head, Fremd set up camp and flopped down on her bag, groaning and snuggling into it. "Of course. _That time_ had to strike just as I was about to actually give this whole trainer lark a good go and see if I could manage to direct them in battle. Joy," she muttered darkly. The three pokemon shared mystified looks. What was she talking about? Turns out, they only learned that when their trainer moaned about _that time_ it was best to either stay out of her way, or do as she asked immediately. She got mean when _that time_ came around.

/*/

_May 14__th__, 1998._

_ I live! Now, if only I could actually carry out a pokemon battle without embarrassing myself, that would be swell. Though... I haven't even tried for a mock-battle with just my three yet so... yeah. Still, I think they're pretty strong for their level. Hector's still the best fighter, having more actual moves that cause damage than the other two, but hey, you take what you can get right? So, tomorrow, the humiliation begins. Joy._

/*/

Fremd got up, refreshed and happy, for once, and turned to her companions. "Alright you lot! Up for a mock-battle?" she asked. All three nodded and Fremd nodded back. "Right. Let's see... I think... Hector against... Stacy! Neither of you are super effective or not very effective against each other, primary type wise anyway, so this should be alright. Okay. Stacy, use Play Nice and follow up with Thunder Shock! And Hector, counter with Endure and then follow up with Arm Thrust!" she called. Stacy leapt to do as she was told, lowering Hector's attacking ability and then shocking him. Though his orders had been given late, they had coincided with Hector's own instincts and so he was able to follow them quickly. Enduring the electric attack, he unleashed a flurry of arm strikes, driving the little mouse before him. Stacy dodged beautifully and the attack ran out after five strikes. "Thunder Shock! Endure! Tackle!" Fremd called. That attack finished it. Stacy was unconscious. Fremd sighed. "We need to work on her endurance, defense, and attack power. And another actual attack, ya know, one that does damage, would be good too. Using Thunder Shock all the time, even if there are status moves mixed in, is going to make us _very_ predictable and easy to knock out. Well done Hector, take five," she said, moving toward Stacy with a berry paste in her hands. Hector moved to the side to sit with Blaze while she worked. "The next move you should be learning is Quick Attack, so lets focus on your speed, alright?" Fremd told Stacy when the little mouse pokemon came too. Wincing slightly in pain, Stacy nodded. Fremd smiled kindly at her. "Rest here while I work with Hector and Blaze alright? I'll come back to your when you've gotten your breath back," she said. Stacy nodded weakly, happy that she had been caught by such a kind human. Blaze turned to Hector and mentally prepared for their fight. "Alright. Start off with an Ember, then a Night Slash. Now Leer! Scratch! Bullet seed! Ember! Growl! Horn Attack!" And Blaze was out. Fremd frowned. The Night Slash must have done more damage than she thought.

/*/

Blaze woke up with a blinding head ache. "Well well, look who decided to return to the land of the living," a gravelly voice said. Blaze growled as best he could with a beak.

"How long have you been practicing that Night Slash?" he asked. Hector chuckled.

"A year or so, on and off. I thought it was the Horn Attack that did you in?" he answered. Blaze would have shaken his head, but it hurt too much.

"Yeah, but the Nigh Slash plus Leer was what really got me," Blaze said. Hector nodded. Fire types were resistant to bug type moves, same with grass, but dark damaged him just the same as anything and with the damage done by Night Slash, having his defense lowered by Leer allowed the bug typed move Horn Attack to knock the little chick out.

"Your Ember isn't too bad, but you do need to work on your defense," Hector told him. Blaze sighed, then looked over to where Fremd was chasing Stacy with...

"Is that a giant mallet?"

"Yep."

"How did she get that?"

"Not a clue."

"Is she using it to..."

"Simulate Magnitude? Yes. Yes she is."

"Does it work like that?"

"She threw rocks at me and it felt like a Rock Throw attack. So yeah. I'd say so."

"Huh," Blaze said, watching as Fremd slammed the giant mallet into the ground, causing a small quake. It wasn't too strong, but for a pokemon weak to ground type moves, it was incentive enough to run. "Think that'll work? I mean, to help Stacy learn Quick Attack?"

"Well... it will certainly help her get faster," Hector replied. Blaze nodded, there was nothing else to do.

"Run run run, little mouse! AH-HAHAHAHAHA!"

"HELP ME!"

"Think we should help?" Blaze asked. Hector shrugged.

"Why not. I'm as good as immune to Fremd's improvised Magnitude," he said, and ran forward. Blaze shook his head.

"My friends are all insane," he muttered before following the heracross. When Hector reached the running pair, he Tackled Fremd and Blaze just skidded to a stop and frowned, as best he could with a beak. "I _really_ can't wait until I evolve into a cumbusken. Then I'll have arms," he groused. Stacy laughed breathlessly from where she was collapsed on the ground.

"How many times has it been now?" she asked, referring to how many times Blaze had mentioned evolving. He glowered at the pikachu and did not dignify the question with a response. Fremd grumbled at having her 'training session' cut short, but relented and let Stacy rest. Hector, however, was not let off so easy. He was used as Fremd's sparring partner/punching bag. The little group stayed in that little bend in the river for two weeks, and the pokemon made great progress, even going so far as to level up! Stacy was very pleased with her new Quick Attack, while Blaze and Hector had to make do with just being a little more powerful in their attacks. Satisfied for now, and ready to move on, Fremd packed up and minimized the traces of her presence before walked once more for the mountains.

/*/

_May 31__st__, 1998._

_ Well, I've leveled up Stacy, Hector, and Blaze. Now we're on our way to the mountains! Again. I think we'll spend at least a month in the mountains. Perhaps more. I only want to spend a year in Hoenn. Then I shall move on to Sinnho. I have hopes for obtaining a riolu or lucario in that region. Perhaps a shinx as well. Luxray are so majestic looking. And of course, there's the whole electric type thing. I like electric types, though I'm drawn more to fire and fighting types. Fighting types I can actually, ya know, fight with. Fighting is familiar, trainable. How does one train creatures in something one does not understand themselves? Anyway, yeah. That's happened. And why I haven't been entering much of anything into my journal. There's just... nothing to say._

/*/

_June 3__rd__, 1998._

_ URGH! This is so frustrating! Plains, plains, plains, woods, woods, woods, and idiot trainers! Stupid, idiotic, self-satisfied, children who think they're so hot. HA! Even I could beat them and I'm lousy! Though, they have been helping Stacy, Blaze, and Hector get a work out. I've heard them complaining about Hector. Or rather, 'that crazy strong heracross.' He's not all that strong, you fools are just too full of yourselves! You don't actually train your pokemon, you don't let them choose when to be in their pokeballs or not, you don't let them express their natural habits and learn and experience the world. All they know are pokemon centers and battlefields. PAH! That's no way to live! Oh those whiny brats really ruffle my feathers! Maybe I'll enter the gym challenge in Sinnho. I'd need at least one full team in order to enter the actual league, but I think it might be fun. And it might enable me to get some street cred. I'm going to need some street cred, what with the mission I've been given._

/*/

_June 4__th__, 1998._

_ Another day, another battle. Man, ever since I left the woods trainers have been coming out of the woodwork! Though, there is no wood work around here, just endless, waving, grass. And trainers. Popping up out of no-where to challenge the 'older' trainer. Ugh. And then they cry when I beat them! I'm sorry, but if you're this far from Littleroot town, you should be better than this. I've only been a trainer for about a month but I can still beat these little kids! Okay, time to calm down. It's bad to sleep when angry._

/*/

Fremd sighed as yet another trainer appeared and challenged her. "Hector," she said, sending out her faithful heracross. Hector popped out ready and willing to fight. The trainer before the pair was confused. "A one on one match good with you? Hector here is my strongest offensive pokemon at the moment. I suggest you send out one of your stronger ones, otherwise Hector might just steamroll 'em," Fremd called out, checking her fingernails. The boy growled, but sent out a combusken. Blaze started making indignant noises behind the sweat-dropping Fremd. "Oh, now you done it. Blaze is going to be ranting for _weeks_ now that he's getting to see his evolution fighting Hector. Though, this might actually be good practice. I'm assuming that's your starter?" she said. The boy nodded. "Blaze is mine. I've only had him for about... two months? Give or take? Yeah, sounds about right. Now, let's see how you handle Form 7! Then 2!" Fremd called, suddenly going from laid-back-yet-irritated to I'm-gonna-take-you-down in a moment. The combusken was take aback by the combination of Leer Night Slash, even if the Night Slash didn't do much to him. Then the heracross used Endure and rammed his head into the chicken's stomach before catching the bird with his shoulder and driving him hard into the ground with a Tackle.

"Was that... an improvised Headbutt... followed by a Take Down?" the opposing trainer asked as his starter got back to his shaky feet. Fremd smirked.

"Pretty much. Adding Endure, and using it right on the heels of a Leer attack, makes it a bit safer to use. I've got ta say, you're much better than the punks I've been dealing with. Their pokemon usually faint after that combo. Lets see how you fare against 1 and 5!" she replied. Now believing that the trainer in front of him had caught and then trained a high level heracross, the boy wasn't so sure of his chances, and thus didn't react fast enough to give his pokemon instructions as Hector bore down on him with a Horn Attack mixed with a Tackle, resulting in a slightly more damaging form of an improvised Take Down. Shaking his head from that, Hector charged up another Horn Attack, then followed up with a barrage of Arm Thrusts, forcing the fire/fighting type back. Finally done, the combusken fell to the ground, out cold. "Sorry kid. Hector's tough. Though, I'm curious as to why he's so powerful. He's not even level seven yet!" Fremd said, patting Hector fondly on the head as he returned to her side.

"WHAT?! I thought he was at least level 23!" the boy, who still had not introduced himself, sputtered.

"Sorry. Nope," Fremd said with a grin, laying a hand on her hip as she lent her weight to the opposite leg.

"He used Take Down!" the boy said, pointing toward a smug Hector. Fremd laughed.

"Nope! He used Leer, then Night Slash, then Endure, then rushed and caught your combusken with his shoulder and bore him to the ground with a Tackle. The added force of the Night Slash, which is launched from his horn with a sideways slashing motion, lent the Tackle more force. The Endure allowed Hector to get right back up with little to no recoil damage. When he does learn Take Down, we will still employ Endure to minimize the damage dealt back to Hector. Honestly, I'm surprised you inferred that it _was_ a Take Down attack. It seems basically the same, but is different in execution," she said.

"Okay. So... How long have you been a trainer again?"

"Since April..." Fremd pulled out her pokenav and flicked on the journal, "tenth. So... it's June 5th now... April, May, June... a little over two months?" He gaped.

"And already you've got a signature style?"

"How long does that usually take? I'd have thought you developed that pretty quick, once you figure out what kind of trainer you want to be. I'll likely focus on fighting types, since I like martial arts and fell more comfortable teaching that than anything else. I mean, how does one train another in something they don't understand?"

"You're... different. My name is Norman and I hope to be a Gym leader some day," he said with a smile. Fremd laughed lightly.

"Well, you're going to have to work on your reaction time if you're going to make it Norman! I'm going to travel around the six regions, spending about a year or so in each, but I'll likely make it back to Hoenn within the next ten years. When I do, I'll make sure to look you up," she said, holding out her hand. Norman smiled back, and took the proffered hand.

"I look forward to battling you again. But next time, my team and I will actually put up a fight!" he said. Fremd grinned.

"I'd expect nothing less after ten years of training!" she said. And so the two parted ways amiably and Fremd made a tentative friend.

/*/

_June 5__th__, 1998._

_ Well, I made a maybe-friend today. His name is Norman and he says he wants to be a Gym Leader. Well, we'll see where he is when next I'm in Hoenn. The numbering system I worked out seems to be working well. Norman couldn't even give an order to his combusken! Though, Blaze has been indignantly chirping all day since I beat his evolution. He seems to be offended that Hector beat him so easy. Honestly, I'm a little worried that my low level pokemon are seriously overpowered. I mean, really? Okay, I might be exaggerating a bit, but come on! I'm going to need to visit a gym, if just to set my mind at ease over how quickly and brutally my fights are being won._

/*/

_June 7__th__, 1998._

_ Well, my fears have been confirmed. All three of my pokemon are strong for their level. Hector leveled up during the fight though, so that appeased me a little. I'm pretty sure Blaze is annoying the other two with his mutterings. I have a funny feeling it's about him evolving into a combusken. Ah well, at least I can't understand him! Though... I'm thinking... once I learn enough about aura... I won't be able to get them to shut up. In the words of one of my favorite anime characters... Mendokuse!_

/*/

_June 8__th__, 1998._

_ Okay, so... I decided to write in the morning instead of at night before bed! Isn't that awesome?! Nah. I don't really think so. I'm just trying to make it exciting for myself. What am I saying?! No-one else is going to read this! Gah! I'm driving myself mad! Oh well. These are my thoughts, just makes sense if their a bit... all over the place. I'm typing as things come to me, so it will be a bit odd. Yep. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Okay, that out of the way, expectations! Nada. Nope, not a single expectation for today. If I had one, it would be that today would be just as hum-drum as yesterday... okay... as hum-drum as yesterday was before I challenged a gym. Yeah, that was actually kinda fun. Got the blood pumping. Not too sure why though. I wasn't even doing anything! Ah well, it is what it is and I can't change that._

/*/

_June 8__th__, 1998._

_ I. Hate. Pokemon. HUNTERS! NO respect. NONE! GAH! I'm so mad right now! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! If I didn't know Ash had to meet Hunter J and fight her himself I'd hunt her down and ground her into the ground myself! AH! And don't get me started on that guy down in Johto. Rumor has it he tried for Celibi, the Time Travel Pokemon. How stupid is that? And not only did he reach for a forbidden fruit, as it were, he went after it on a motorcycle! How dare he! How dare he disgrace those beautiful machines by doing such a stupid, stupid, potentially world shattering thing with one?! Okay, so, I guess I should explain. Well, I had put up my pokenav after this morning's entry and went on my merry little way. No problem right? HA! Big problem! Okay, not right away, but still! So, a little after lunch, I'm walking down the road when all of a sudden, out of the tall grass, runs a pancham! Now, I may not be the most knowledgeable about pokemon and what pokemon is native where, but I was pretty such panchams were native to Kalos, not Hoenn. So, I asked if she(don't ask how I knew it was a she. I just did) was lost. She screamed and ran down the road a ways before darting into the grass on the other side. A moment later, this crazy girl crashes out onto the road, growling about an escaped pancham. Of course, seeing how scared the aforementioned pokemon was, I stayed quite and blended in, like I'm good at. Eventually though, the girl spotted me and asked about the pancham. By now, I'm tired of just thinking about it, but I shake my head and shrug. No way am I talking to this crazy person! Then, just when I thought me and the little panda were in the clear, the little punk in purple notices these two little round yellow eyes watching us and dives. Luckily, I was faster and shot out a pokeball. It was an instant capture. Looks like the panda didn't like the little Purple Punk any better than I did. I asked her name and, stupidly, she told me 'call me Hunter J! I'm going to be the most notorious poke-theif ever!' I gave her my best 'you are stupid, you look stupid, and you will die stupid' look. Not too sure if she got the message, or if she just didn't like my blank face, but she huffed and vanished back the way she came. No fight, no fuss, just a name and a declaration that for some odd reason made me think of the anime Naruto. Yeah, don't ask why, I got no clue. So now I'm a little on edge, not to mention steamed. If she shows her smug, rotten, little mug around me again, she'll find herself in for a world of hurt! As soon as she was gone, I searched for a good spot and trained the rest of the day. I still haven't talked to my new pancham yet, but I'm a bit excited. Its a fighting type! And it's a panda! And when she evolves, she'll be a dual fighting/dark type, giving me an edge if I have to fight a psychic type! Squee! Ah, now that's better. Happy is much better than homicidal rage. I have a new fighting type~! I have a new fighting type~! And she's a PANDA~!_

/?/

A/N: Okay. I wrote some of this a while back, but I edited the first few chapters and added one at the beginning. Let me know if you find any discrepancies and mention the line so I can find and fix them. Thanks.

A/N 2: From here it's going to mostly be journal entries and rants with maybe a little more detail added at certain times, such as first meetings and what not.

Regenengel3


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own only Fremd and the personalities of her personal pokemon as well as certain events, seeing as this is an AU based around my OC.

**Chapter 7:** It's a Warrior Thing

_June 9, 1998._

_ I introduced Pam to the rest of the team, but she seems a little... stand off-ish. And I get the feeling she doesn't trust me. Hey, that's okay, we'll work this out like always. I just have to give her no cause to hate me or distrust me. And I'm fairly sure my pokemon will help set her fears at rest. Fairly._

_ In other news, I've actually gotten quite a bit of research done on the habits of grassland pokemon. I'm rather pleased with how this second stretch of data collection is going. Having more pokemon of my own is actually very helpful. I had needed to ward off a few not-so-human-friendly bug types in the forest on my own when Blaze go tired, and while I could do it, it wasn't my idea of fun. Now I have Blaze, Stacy, Hector, and Pam. Pam might still be wary of me, but she does her part, if begrudgingly._

/*/

_ June 10th, 1998._

_ Ugh. I hate this 'job.' So much walking! So many pokemon jumping out of nowhere! And Pam won't listen to me. She nearly got creamed because she wouldn't even look at her opponent! I wonder if Hector would be willing to talk to her. He seems like the strong silent warrior type, perhaps he could get through to her. In other news, I've gotten quite a few interesting observations about grassland pokemon jotted down. Though, considering how close I still am to Professor Birch's lad, he might already know all this. Ah well, I'll write down what I learn and if he already knows it, well, he gets one more eye-witness account to quote in his papers or what not._

/*/

_June 11__th__, 1998._

_ You know what the hardest part of this whole experience has been for me? Reconciling my beliefs with the world I now live in. If I pray to the true God, will he hear me? Can he exert his will over this world the same as the real world? Or is it now real in as much as I am real? I don't have a bible to read, or ignore, here, and I find myself wanting one. I mean, I look around and I see this amazing world, I see flowers and trees and rivers and rocks just the same as back home. Heck, there are even mosquitoes! And spiders! And all those other creepy-crawlers! It's so close and yet, at the same time, so far. I can swat away a mosquito and then turn around and see a wurmple. Aiya~! I'm going to need these ten years just to come to terms with what I'm forced to make my new reality. And I never even played the games! Lord have mercy on me._

/*/

_June 12, 1998._

_ Pam got roughed up again today. Crazy panda just won't listen! I've tried everything! Well, aside from letting out the whole team and telling them it's an intervention for Pam. I just... wish I knew how to make it up to her. You know, the whole forced catch with an ultra ball thing(I'm not even sure how I got that ultra ball in the first place!) which I figure is the main focus of her distrust. I could be wrong. I don't speak Pokemon. But... I know that if someone forced me into servitude, I wouldn't be too happy either. Arceus, I'm looking at you, ya freaky ship-wheel wearing weed munching dead meddling fireball spitting reality warping horse deity pokemon from the mind of Game Freak. I'm looking at you._

/*/

_June 13__th__, 1998._

_ Okay. Really? Really? We're... we're going to do this? Seriously? Okay okay, here's the deal. I've been kidnapped. By Team Magma. I'm currently dictating this entry. And yeah, the person typing it? #$^#$&amp;#$^%^%#^$^%&amp;$_

…

_Tevor's typing it for me, and he has blue hair. I'm talking sapphire. It's really distracting. But hey! Better than pink!#%$&amp;%&amp;#$%&amp;#$%^ #%$_

…

_Yeah, I've seen men with pink hair before. I'll tell ya, it takes a special man to pull of pink hair. Any way, he read through a few of my entries and thought, hey! This girl has been pretty faithful, I'll help her out! Guess it didn't cross his mind that I'd be fine with just writing up my little adventure when I#$# ^%#^&amp; #$% !_

…

_Um._

_I meant, when I am released after aiding Team Magma create more land for humans and pokemon to live on. Right. That. Ahem. So yeah. I've been kidnapped by Team Magma and they're trying %#&amp;%&amp;$%#^$_

…

_Have graciously extended an offer of employment. And would you stop doing that? Makes for a rather garbled entry! Man I wish Hector were here. He knew how$&amp;%$%_

…

_Okay. You know what, let's just end it there._

/*/

_June 14__th__, 1998._

_ Still Trevor! Hopefully we can avoid$^#^$_

…

_Really? Right there? Wow. Okay. Still being offered employment graciously by the magnificent Team Magma who is so very misunderstood. I mean, how could creating more land and shrinking the ocean possibly be bad? How could a decrease in the amount of water available on the planet cause problems? Never mind the fact that^%*$^&amp;^*%%^#6_

…

_Team Magma! Team Magma! Go go Team Magma! I hope#$^#$^%&amp;$Q $%^%&amp;_

…

_Stop beating on my pokenav! Ya see, this is way we #$^%$^&amp;#_

…

_Gosh darn it! Go! Just go!_

/*/

_ June 15th, 1998._

_ As I sit here, listening to sales pitch after sales pitch, I think of my friend Grace. I think of when she described her brother and, I can't help but think, this is how she must have felt. When her brother when on and on and on about something truly inane that she honestly couldn't care less about... this must be what it felt like for her.%#$^%_

…

_Again? Ya know, there's something that can help with that. Yeah, it's called anger man#% #_

…

_We're never going to get through with this entry if $!#_

…

_Okay! Goodness! Ah, this is the capti. $% _

/*/

_June 16__th__, 1998._

_ I'm back again, typing out the woman's journal entry. Or so she thinks. Arceus but this chick's crazy. I mean, I read through her entries and... Acreus! She threatens legendaries! She claims to be from another world! She claims she's DEAD! And then there's this Ash person who she says is her mission. Who has a person as their mission? And this other world she keeps mentioning... it's crazy! Oh, she's giving me that look. The look she gets when she sees something she doesn't like. Most of us around here get that look a lot, but she seems to tolerate me. Though, lately, she's been glaring at me as well. And making rather snide comments in this snippy tone... I think she doesn't appreciate me slapping her pokenav when I get angry with what she's saying.$# %_

…

_And she made me do that! She threw herself against me! I mean, what? And she keeps turning us down. Who does that? I_

/*/

_June 16__th__, 1998, late night._

_ So... the local league officials busted me out. Yep, it's really me this time. And gosh darn it but I owe the league a solid now. Urgh. That one's going to come back and bite me, I just know it! Oh wait... is that.. Urgh. Can't even leave me in peace. May all your bacon burn, mareep face, may all your bacon burn._

/*/

_June 17__th__, 1998._

_ Well, I've been offered training by a member of the Hoenn Elite Four. I turned him down. I wanted as little contact with the idiots of this world as possible before I get saddled with what could be the biggest pokeidgit in the country and not even training by a guy like... I don't even know his name! But yeah. Not even training with a big shot can change my mind. Take that, Pokemon League! I'm going to the mountains! And I'm gonna catch an absol! And name her Addie! Unless it's a guy. Then it'll be Abe. Not sure why, but there ya go. Still, I wish I could understand my pokemon. I wonder if I could learn how to do that with aura? It would be_ so_ handy! And I could finally figure out what's up with Pam!_

/*/

_ June 18__th__, 1998_

_ Finally made it to the foot hills of the Hoenn mountains. Man, no-one who played this crazy game complained about how _big_ Hoenn was! It's huge! Oh yeah. _Real life_. Based off Japan. Of course. Stupid Arceus, dropping me in this crazy world. Ah well, such is life._

/*/

_ June 19th, 1998_

_ Ah, the mountains. Such beauty, such majesty, such a testament to God's mighty power. And no. I don't many any of the deity pokemon so many people seem to worship in this reality. I see no reason to pay them any more respect than what powerful hunters such as lions and tigers deserve. Oh sure, they could probably wipe me out of existence, but still. I sure hope my pokemon can work out what's wrong with Pam. Okay. So I know why she's bent out of shape, but still! Man, how long do panchams hold onto grudges?_

/*/

It had been nearly three months. Three months of trouble, three months of stonewalling. Three months of Pam being angry at Fremd. Blaze Fist had had enough. It was time to end this for good. "PAM!" he shouted, stalking toward the little panda. Pam looked down at the Flame Chicken and sneered.

"What do you want, Chickie?" she snarled. Blaze's red eyes flashed.

"I want this done," he growled. How a chicken can growl, no-one knows, but Blaze managed it. He always did. He was kind of the big brother of the group, though Hector wasn't far behind. Pam, however, didn't see that about Blaze, and brushed him off. What a fool she.

"What done, Blaze Butt," Pam said dismissively. Blaze's feathers began to glow, sparks coming off from their undersides.

"Your attitude, Panda. I don't want to know why, because quite frankly, I think I know already. And! It's a pretty sucky reason! Fremd saved you from that Hunter chick. Sure she captured you when you were weakened by the Hunter, but at the time you _wanted_ to get away from the Purple Punk however you could. You _accepted_ the capture. So, what I don't get is, why are you resisting now?" he said, positively dangerously. Pam was beginning to think that maybe... she'd crossed a line she really shouldn't have.

"I..." she began before the heracross, Hector, stepped in.

"Leave her be, friends," he said, looking into Pam's eyes, unblinking. "She's a warrior, not a soldier. Warriors have different codes, different ideals. You have to earn their loyalty differently than you earn a soldier's loyalty," he said. Blaze growled and turned away.

"Fine! But if she causes any more problems," he looked back over his shoulder and glared at Pam, "I will take her to task. And it will be painful," he finished before returning himself into his pokeball. Pam shivered and Stacy shook her head.

"Pam, there's something you should always, always remember. Blaze was with Fremd from before she started her journey and as such, he knows her best. Hector may be the one sparing with her, but Blaze is her best student, even if he can't spare with her. No matter what, Blaze is the strongest of us and if he promises something... he delivers. Do not cross him, it may be the last thing you do," she said seriously before following her 'big brother's example. Pam looked to Hector.

"Yep. Pretty much. Blaze is a real serious player. You'd do well to attempt to get back in his good graces," the fighting bug told her before going over to Fremd. Pam sighed and sat down.

"Well, I can't very well ignore the woman now. If I do that, Blaze Fist might just kill me," she said to herself.

/*/

While Pam was musing on matters of life and death, Fremd was staring at the stars and thinking of home. Then, she began to pray aloud. "Lord, I know you're there. It is hard for me to reconcile this world with what I know in my heart to be true, but I will continue to trust in you. So, I believe you're listening to me, and I believe you will still hear my prayers. Lord, I pray for Fran. May she move on, find love, and follow your will in all things. I pray for Mr. Lennox. May he find success in the field, may he know you're will for his life and walk in it. Lord I pray the same for Mrs. Lennox. I pray for my landlady, that whoever takes the house now is kind, and sweet, and caring, and looks after her, and drives her to church. I pray for the land I left behind, that the government would work as designed, that the schools would teach the children well, and that your will be done. For this world you have placed me in, with the aid of Arceus, I pray that you guide the government here as well. Protect them, guide them, teach them, and when the time comes, give me the words needed to raise Ash up in you that he might do your will as well." She stopped, shaking her head. "There's been a lot of 'I's in this prayer, God. So lets get off of me, ay? Take my hands, they're yours not mine, to do what you will. Take my lips Lord, they're yours not mine, to say what you will. Take my feet Lord, they're yours not mine, to go where you will. Take our leaders, they are yours not ours to do what you will. Little far? Still, the whole multi-verse is yours! You created the creators of these worlds, so you are there no matter what. I mean, Lord above Lords and King above Kings! Kinda overrides anything in any world. Okay. I'm not making much sense now. In your almighty name I pray, amen," she finished. Hector came up to her as she finished, looking a little put out. Fremd quirked an eyebrow. "What's got your shell on crooked?" she asked. Hector buzzed vaguely. Fremd's other eyebrow went up.

"Hera, heracross her hera cross cross, heracross," Hector said. Fremd hummed.

"Motions, Hector. They help a lot," she said. Hector gave off the feeling of frowning and pointed to the slightly stunned looking Pam. Fremd sighed. "Still bummed about how I caught her, huh?" she asked. Hector nodded. Fremd sighed and shook her head, and then a thought came to her. Grinning, she stood and entered the makeshift tent where she had stored her knapsack. She came out with motorcycle gloves and shin guards on. She tugged at the gloves as she made her way to Pam. "Hey! Pam!" she called. The fighting panda turned to look at her, puzzled, then nearly lost her leaf when she saw her trainer.

/*/

Hector, when he had seen Fremd with her gloves and shin guards on, had quickly released Blaze and Stacy. Blaze had glared until Hector said the magic words. "Fremd's sparring Pam." The torchik was grinning like a mad thing as he strode off to watch. Fremd didn't notice, she was too busy having a stare down with Pam, who seemed more stunned than stoked.

"Come on, Panda! Now's your chance to show us what you're _really_ made of! Don't tell me you've got stage fright?!" shouted Blaze. Pam turned to see the surprisingly intimidating bird grinning, red eyes flashing in eagerness.

"What is she doing?!" the panda asked in shock. Blaze grinned.

"Showing you who's boss," he said with mildly sadistic pleasure. Pam swallowed heavily. She had heard what Fremd did to capture Hector, had seen the woman spar with the aforementioned bug. This... was going to be difficult. She just knew it.

"Alright Pam! Today, I'm going to fight you. I win, you listen. You win, I break your pokeball and let you free. Deal?" Fremd asked, tugging slightly on the plates of plastic she had strapped to her shins. Pam nodded, fighting down fear. Fremd grinned at her. "Wundarbar! Now, atten~tion!" she barked, standing and clicking her heels together. Pam copied the posture as well she could, somehow knowing it was what was being asked of her. "Bow!" She did, mirroring Fremd's actions once again. "And~! Begin!" Fremd slid one leg back, shifting her weight off her front leg, and held her fists up in a guard position. Pam shifted to her opening stance and waited. Fremd chuckled, then leapt into action. The many months she had spent in the forests and fields, fighting and training pokemon, had honed the skills she had already possessed to an even finer degree, though not to a master's level. But Fremd didn't need master level to beat Pam, and they both knew it. Still, Fremd's speed and strength had increased by no small margin since her awakening. It was all Pam could to to dodge, but even then, a few hits made it through. And when those hits connected, it hurt. Humans may be untyped, but they could still bring the hurt.

"You're crazy!" Pam shouted, dodging another kick. Fremd chuckled, eyes dancing as her slightly longer than shoulder length brown hair flew crazily in the wind of her movement.

"You know I don't get anything out of that expect 'pancham', right?" she asked cheekily. Pam growled. "Ah. Now, _that_... _that_ I can understand!"

"What do you hope to prove human?!"

"Heh. Still trying to talk? Okay, I'll play along. This is what happens when you give your trainer grief!" Fremd yelled, launching into a dizzying series of spin kicks and rapid punches. Pam got hit several times, and it hurt. Badly. "Especially!" Fremd puffed, lashing out with a low kick, making Pam jump, "when that trainer!" she punched at the panda before she could land, "is ME!" Pam crashed into the ground, Fremd's hand at her throat. Gritting her bared teeth at the little dark/fighting type, Fremd hissed, "I get that you're a fighter. I could even say I get that you see yourself as a warrior. What I have trouble understanding, is why you think warriors need help from no-one? In every history book I've ever read, even the wandering swordsman will band together with others from time to time. Armies can be made of more than just soldiers and smiths, Pam. They can be filled with warriors too." She pushed herself roughly off the panda, her breath harsh. "I'm going to bathe, and when I get back... I expect you to hold up your end of the deal," Fremd said before she vanished in the direction of a near by stream. Pam was left on the ground, staring at the darkening sky, defeated and thoroughly confused.

"Well, that was a good fight," Blaze said, sarcasm coloring his words. Pam shot him a glare and rolled over. He laughed, but was cut off by Hector.

"Rest well, Pam. Tomorrow... your _real_ training begins," the heracross said solemnly before leading the torchik off to gather so berries for dinner.

/?/

A/N: Well? What did you think? You know the drill, see the box. Drop me a review.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize likely isn't mine. Fremd and her antics are though.

**Chapter 8:** Higher Altitude, Better Attitude

_June 20__th__, 1998_

_ I finally feel like I've made a breakthrough with Pam. It's not perfect, but it'll work. For now. In other news, I've sent off my second notebook. Yeah. Second. Whoo-freakin-hoo right? Ugh. Want chocolate. This is gonna be a long couple of months._

/*/

_June 21__th__, 1998_

_ The sunrise here it's... ho man! There are no words to describe it! However, I shall try. The sun raises over the plains, a flaming ball of crimson. The mountains come alight with the rays of the sun, and the radiance is such that I must shield my eyes. When the burning passes, I look and see the sky painted with luminous pinks and golds before the sky fades back to blue. Ah~! I can't help but sing praises to my Lord, the Creator of All who made such beauty and has given me the gift of sight to see it. Thank you, Lord God, for your beautiful creations!_

/*/

_June 22__nd__, 1998_

_ Ya know... I'm getting this feeling... that someone's watching me. Oh no! I've got that song in my head! 'I always feel like, somebody's watching me~!' Gah! No! Make it stop!_

/*/

_June 23__rd__, 1998_

_ I do believe I've driven my pokemon friends to distraction with my humming. I can't help it! The song won't leave me alone! 'I feel like, somebody's watching me~! And I have no privacy!'_

/*/

_June 24__th__, 1998_

_ Okay. We've got a problem. I can't stop singing that crazy song! Okay. Well, I made a deal with Pam the other day. A fist fight. She wins, I free her, I win, she listens. I won. She's still listening today! It's so nice! I think... we can actually train now!_

/*/

The sun crested the horizon and struck Fremd's eyes. Scrunching her face and rolling over, she willed the sun away, but it was not to be. With a heavy sigh, Fremd pulled herself off her bedroll and dressed for the day. Judging from the chill that hung in her cold weather tent, it wasn't exactly going to be a sunny day in Alabama. Stumbling out of her tent, her prepared mug in hand, Fremd took a deep breath, then let it whoosh out. "Ah, cold mornings. They're wonderful when you can just roll over in your nice warm bed and let them pass on into cool afternoons," she said, setting the carafe of distilled water over the fire to boil. While that was heating, Fremd pulled out the dehydrated meat and a few berries out of her mystical utility belt and her pan from the big bag of supplies she had bought earlier. Soon, she had a passable breakfast, though she could have done with some eggs or toast. "Blaze! Stacy! Hector! Pam! Breakfast time!" she called, tossing the aforementioned pokeballs into the air and releasing her faithful, and not so faithful, pokemon companions. She smiled at the little critters and passed them their food. "Eat up, we've got a lot to do today!" she said, overly cheerful to combat the grumpiness she could feel threatening to consume her. She was not a morning person. At all. When they were done, Fremd set Hector and Blaze to work with each other, while Stacy was told to practice her aim. "Okay, Pam!" she said, clapping her hands in front of her and bouncing on her toes, "I'm going to start you off slow, see where you are with actual fighting, and then start working on your attacks, sound good?" Pam nodded, causing Fremd to smile. "Wonderful!" she said, and training began.

/*/

Listing to Fremd really wasn't that bad, Pam decided. Her muscles were just a little sore after the workout Fremd had put her through, and she knew her aim was already getting better, if only by a little. It was only the fourth day after all. Blaze, on the other hand... "Five," Fremd said tonelessly. The little torchik spewed out burning embers at his foe, causing it to faint. Fremd grinned, then stumbled back as her starter was enveloped in white light. He began to change before her eyes until... "Nice. Well, now that you've got arms and grown a little taller, want to join Hector and Pam in our spars?" Fremd asked, grinning at the newly evolved combusken. Blaze Fist nodded happily, waving his new arms around in what could be called glee. Confusingly, Stacy started to grumble. Pam only caught a few words, most being along the lines of 'pesky flame butt' and 'shut up.' The panda looked over at Hector, hoping he'd have an explanation. He didn't. Or, maybe he did, but he was too busy chuckling at them along with Fremd to give it. She sighed.

"This is how it's always going to be, isn't it?" she groused before turning away to start going through her own drills. Fremd saw her, but said nothing. She didn't know what was going through the pokemon's mind. Aura training hadn't started yet, and Fremd had no idea how to use it. Even if it'd been covered in the manga and/or anime she wouldn't know. She hadn't watched or read it. Heck, she hadn't played the games! Shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts, Fremd continued to work with her pokemon, hoping she was doing it right.

/?/

A/N: Short, but hey, it's something. And really, I just can't make this a full length story. Apologies.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Pokemon? How could little ol' me come up with that? Besides, I'd never allow Ash to be such an idiot. That is all.

**Chapter 9:** Idiot Moments with Legendary Pokemon

_June 26__th__, 1998_

_ I think, I'm going to need to find a real dojo. I'm not getting better, per say, though I'm certainly not getting worse. I just feel like... No. I know what I want. I want Mr. Lennox back. I miss his lessons, his laugh, his hugs. Fran. Mrs. Lennox. Home cooked dinners around the dinning room table, filled with love and laughter and light, despite the darkness outside. Hard rock, cold gray skies, thin nylon walls, open fires, and no company except my pokemon, whom I can't understand except for their name... they make for rather poor substitutions. Still, I like the mountains better than the forest or the plains. There's less rain, for one thing, and surprisingly enough, more berries. I've begun experimenting with them, making new teas. They're usually pretty good, but there are some combinations... let's just say, sweet and sour tea is a_ bad idea.

/*/

_June 27__th__, 1998_

_ Ya know, writing up these notebooks is trying work. Really, it is. Even after staying in one spot for the past couple of days, the mountain pokemon haven't come out. Though, I still feel like I'm being watched._

/*/

J_une 28__th__, 1998_

_ Training is going well for us all, though I really wish I knew what Blaze is saying that keeps getting him shocked by Stacy. She got so much practice shocking him that she learned thunder bolt! I wonder if I'm going to end up with an OP pikachu as well. Meh, I'll likely let her have the thunderstone I have when she's about level 36, maybe higher. It's her decision though. No way am I going to force anything. As for the tea... meh. Not the best but it's actually getting better. I knew there was a reason I like Ouran..._

/*/

_June 29__th__, 1998_

_ I found a supply train for a Magma base today. I hijacked it. Using a uniform boosted from that one hideout where they tried to recruit me. Now, I get a fifth of the base's supplies dropped off at my 'guard post' whenever they come. They had the audacity to include pokemon in the shipment._ Pokemon! _At least they had food for the poor dears. I let them go. None of them were too keen on having a trainer, though I have a feeling they're hanging around my campsite, keeping the weaker pokemon from coming through. I'm not going to complain. They also keep the Magma grunts from getting too close. Still, I suppose I should contact the League and let them know I'm close to a Magma base. I'm just too busy with my pokemon and train... hum. I wonder if Magma has any physical training for their agents. Perhaps, some undercover work is needed. At the very least it'll be fun._

/*/

_June 30__th__, 1998_

_ Well, if nothing else, the pokemon I released from Team Magma have been helpful in learning pokemon habits towards humans their friendly toward. There's one abra in particular that seems to have taken a liking to me. He indicated he didn't want to remain a trainer's pokemon, but so far he's stuck pretty close. Perhaps one day he'll help me out in a pinch, but even if he doesn't, I'll still look out for him while he hangs around. Although, the pokemon around me are all fairly common and well known. I get the feeling Prof. Birch wanted information on less common pokemon. Ah well, this is what I've got and this is what I've learned. The fact that it's first hand in the wild might have some significance that I can't see, plus it might lend just that little bit extra credibility._

/*/

_July 1__st__, 1998_

_ Whoo! First of the month! Hum... where am I going to get fireworks? Only three days until the Fourth, and I'm an American at heart. Perhaps I can as that abra to teleport me down the mountain to a human settlement. They'll either have fireworks for sale or a display sometime in the general vicinity of the Fourth._

/*/

_July 6__th__, 1998_

_ I was too busy trying to find a way to see fireworks for the Fourth to write before now. I did, in fact, watch the annual fireworks. It was glorious. Abra helped me out, the slippery little psy pokemon. I gave him a warm marshmallow. He seemed to enjoy it. Roasted marshmallows... such wonderful balls of spun, sticky, sugar._

/*/

_July 10__th__, 1998_

_ I have found something monumental. My Pokenav has a bible. Like, a real one. As in, __**The Bible!**__ And I've had this thing for how long before I found this gem? Since April 10__th__. Three months to the day! UGH! I'm such an_ idiot! _How did I not notice this?! I've been wanting to read some Psalms lately and I despaired at finding a real Bible in this world because Arceus._ Freaking Arceus. _And Yevital and Xecron and Palkia and Dialaga and Giratina and Raquaza and Groudon and Kyogre and all those other legendary pokemon the peoples of this world believe to be their_ 'gods'._ Ugh. It just... ugh. Yeah. That's all I can say about that. Ugh. Now, I'm going to read Psalms and sing praises to the_ true _God of Creation._

/*/

In her home, The Writer sits back with a grin. "You're welcome, my little OC," she said, wishing she had a cold root beer to sip from with an evil little self satisfied smirk. Sadly, she did not have a root beer, and her powers of creation were limited to Fremd's reality. Which was fiction. Bored watching her OC reading Psalms, The Writer looked toward what the legendaries were doing, and could help but feel bemused.

"POKENAVS DON'T HAVE BIBLES ON THEM! THE PEOPLE OF MY REALM DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT AND DON'T HAVE COPIES OF IT! WHAT THE HECK?!" Arceus was bellowing, eyes glowing a rather dangerous red. Mew was giggling like mad... from behind a marble pillar fifty feet away. Palkia, hearing his brother mentioned in Fremd's rant, wondered if he wouldn't mind a little company.

"Arcy is crazy again!" Mew laughed, hysterical. Palkia decided, fudge it. He was going to visit his ghost/dragon brother regardless of whether or not the Dragon of the World, or Reverse World, cared for company. A hysterical Mew and an enraged Arceus was hazardous to anyone's health _separately_ but together?

"TAKE ME WITH YOU BROTHER!" Dialaga called, running toward the Dragon of Space. Palkia's eyes went almost comically wide and opened the portal as Dialaga tackled him through it.

"Dialaga?"

"..."

"Brother?"

"..."

"Um... what... ?"

"Oh hey there Giratina! We thought we'd just, um, drop in!"

"... Get out."

"NO!" Giratina and Palkia turned to the wide eyed Dragon of Time.

"Oh, so you're finally speaking again?" Palkia asked, just a tad testy.

"You can't kick us out little brother! Father's gone into a rage!" Dialaga cried, clutching at the ghost/dragon type. Giratina looked over at Palkia.

"The Writer pulled a stunt that warped the fabric of reality to give Fremd a Bible app on her Pokenav. And said young lady is calling herself an idiot for not seeing it earlier... even though it _wasn't_ there earlier," the Space Dragon explained. Giratina nodded.

"So, you guys want to crash for until the rage passes is that right?" he asked, centipede-like body curling around his front feet as he regarded he two brothers. Palkia nodded sedately while Dialaga nodded violently, eyes pleading. The dragon was rather pleased with this arrangement. Had he a mouth, his brothers would have been rather creeped out by the grin it would have been wearing. As it was, the smug posture was enough to send up warning flags.

"Giratina?" they asked together. Said dragon began to chuckle.

"Well then, I guess you're rather stuck with me, aren't you?" The other two shared a look. What was their brother getting at? "I've always wondered what 'family game night' was like," Giratina said, and somehow he managed to make the rather innocent statement sound ominous. It didn't happen often, but sometimes, Space and Time were on the same exact wavelength. This was one of those times. What was this wavelength? 'Oh great Game Freak, what have we gotten ourselves into?' And that was where The Writer had to step back and take a deep breath. It was like James Potter and Sirius Black playing card games... on motorcycles... in _AMERICA!_ With Bandit Keith. In _AMERICA!_ With saw blades coming out of their hubcaps and oil slicks out the back of the fender. And heavy metal rock music playing over top of the Yugioh original soundtrack, along with the Yugioh 5Ds soundtrack. And with sound clips from Yugioh Abridged and Yugioh 5Ds Abridged. With a guest appearance by Sir Aaron and Spock, who was highly confused by the illogical nature of the entire thing. Oh yeah. I just broke your mind, didn't I? Or I had you bust into laughter. Or you're staring at the screen thinking 'Dear Merlin, what did I just read?' Don't worry. That's normal when it comes to Pokemon Card Games of Doom, Legendary Style.

/?/

A/N: . . . Um. . . Yeah. I have no excuse. That... erm... yeah. I have no clue what I was thinking when I wrote the last bit about Card Games of Doom. I honestly have no excuse.

.

.

.

NO REGRETS!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of its affiliates.

A/N: Just want to say to my first reviewer... Guest... you're awesome! I squeed when I read your review! Thanks Guest, you made my day.

**Chapter 10:** Poke-Advancement

_July 30__th__, 1998_

_ Summer in the mountains. It's glorious. I love it. It's especially nice when I can re-route supplies from a terrorist organization. Tea! Oh glorious tea! Who knew Magma grunts liked tea? Oh sure they offered coffee as well, but I really don't like coffee unless it's some froo-froo drink like a caramel mocha. Um, caramel..._

/*/

_August 3__rd__, 1998_

_ The temperature is falling. Slow but sure. The pokemon I freed earlier have departed. I have begun to stockpile my supplies and in doing so have found an anomaly. I can only assume this anomaly is due to this word being based off of a hand held video game. The phenomenon in question is that my pack can hold far more than it's size suggests. In fact, I managed to put a fishing rod and a bike into my backpack. And there is still room. I plan to experiment with the smaller bag that hangs from the belt Professor Birch gave me. This could prove to be advantageous to me and allow for longer times away from supply trains such as the one I've been leeching off of._

/*/

_August 6__th__, 1998_

_ My experiments with my bags have proven that there is, in fact, a size limit to what can fit in a bag. However, this seems to apply more to the size of the opening, rather than the size of the overall bag or the item one wishes to place inside the bag. I have decided to keep certain amenities on my person at all times. The bag provided for me by Professor Birch has four pockets, two on the front, one on either side, and a large main compartment. The left side pocket, which has no cover yet still manages to avoid getting water or dirt in it, I have devoted to berries. The opposite pocket now holds what TMs and HMs I have come across. The left front pocket, which has a buckle down cover, now holds my 'items,' such as potions and hold items. The other front pocket, a mirror image of the first, holds my empty pokeballs. The main zipper compartment holds what I call 'key items.' This includes my fishing rod, my bike, my occupied pokeballs, my pokenav, and my evolution stones. Should I be given anything else I deem important, I shall stash it there. It's the biggest compartment after all, and it has a zipper. I have no idea how all this fits into what amounts to a slightly cooler version of an old fashioned fanny pack, but I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. It works, so I'm going to take advantage of it. Oh, and I stashed two changes of clothes in my pouch, along with my toiletries. I'm not going to be parted from those! And whoever says clothes and toiletries are not 'key items' deserves to get a Horn Attack to the stomach. I may be a tomboy, but I'm still a woman!_

/*/

Pam watched as her trainer went over their stores, sorting the human food from the pokemon, piling the pokeballs, berries, and various other items into categories depending on how often she'd use them. She had started doing this near the beginning of the month, and it was looking like they'd be moving camp soon. Once the supplies had been sorted, Fremd began packing them. Most of it went into her personal bag, but her large backpack was not forgotten. The bulk of the clothes and camping gear went in there, along with the actual food, though Pam saw the woman had set aside eight bags of pokemon food, two for each of them, that found their way into the 'key items' pouch of her personal bag. She also saw two small bags of trail mix get stashed in the small bag. The weapons were forgotten in a pile, though whenever Fremd's eyes wondered over there a terrifying grin spread across her face before she turned away. This was much different than Hunter J. The purple haired woman had a love for weapons that nearly saw her neglect food and water. Fremd didn't. In fact, Pam had a feeling the weapons would be torched some time soon. Nodding to herself, the panda decided, Fremd was her trainer and she was going to listen and obey from that day forward. There were far worse people than Fremd in the world, and far too few who were better.

/*/

Not so far away, another pokemon was observing the human woman known as Fremd. She was a young absol, only about three years old, but pokemon mature faster than humans. She knew what the human had done for the pokemon now surrounding her camp. And since the human began appropriating supplies from the base further up the mountain, she had sensed a slight decrease in the chances for disaster. It was... intriguing. As was the human herself. Whenever the human passed her line of sight, a sense of calm came over her, as though this human was the answer to avoiding human based disasters. This bore further watching.

/*/

_August 10__th__, 1998_

_ Well, I'd say that fall is swiftly approaching these mountains and that the pokemon here are beginning to be a bit ansty about my presence. Quite honestly, if it weren't for the amount of experience my friends and I are getting from these wild crazies I'd be completely fed up with them. As it is, I am fast approaching that point. Also, I'm nearly ready to leave this spot. I'm going to call the league at the end of the month and have them mop up this nest. Still, I'm hoping I'll get a shipment of winter apparel before that. I'm not quite ready to leave this mountain yet and have no intention of asking that abra to teleport me to town just to pick up a coat and some wool socks!_

/*/

_August 13__th__, 1998_

_ Blaze has evolved to a blaziken. He is very happy. I am too. How knew ordering a large, bipedal, fire breathing chicken to use Blaze Kick on annoying flying types could be so satisfying._

/*/

While Blaze and Fremd were happy for Blaze's evolution, the other pokemon in the company were not so happy. As Pam put it, 'Flame Butt, if you don't stop gloating I'm going to throw you into a nest of garados!' None of the others argued with her. The absol watching the trainer and her pokemon felt herself wanting to join in, though she wasn't sure why. Still, when she thought of joining the woman, she felt just as calmed as she had when Fremd started appropriating supplies from Team Magma. Mind nearly made up, the absol slunk away to prepare.

/?/

A/N: And there you have it. Fremd finally realizes the video game magic that effects her reality and the watching absol is making a move.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Don't own.

**Chapter 11:** I Name You, Trainer

Fremd was finishing her warm up with Blaze when an absol carefully made its way out of the grass, watching. Fremd was instantly transfixed by the dark type's canine beauty. The smooth black horn, the glossy, dusky fur coat, the fluid grace with which it moved. "Hello ya beauty," Fremd said in a rather poor imitation of a Scottish accent. The absol paused, then faced Blaze and yipped out a challenge. Blaze looked to his trainer. She was grinning wildly. "If you just said what I think you said, you're on," the woman said, then nodded to Blaze. Seeing the signal, Blaze opened with a Peck attack. The absol dodged and Fremd seemed to grow more excited. "Combo number 8!" she called. Blaze grinned and snapped out his left foot in a Low Kick. When the absol dodged it, she inadvertently placed herself in the path of his right foot, which was coated in fire for a Blaze Kick. Landing, the absol was too disoriented to avoid the Scratch/Peck combo and fell to the ground. Shaking her head, she got back up and launched an attack of her own. Blaze was hit, wincing from the impact. Back and forth they went, both taking heavy damage, until the absol didn't get back up. Fremd stepped forward and placed a pokeball in front of the downed absol. "It would be an honor to have you join our team, absol. Even if you choose not to join us, I will treat your injuries. It would be a death sentence to leave you stranded like this," she said, already reaching for the potions and berries in her personal bag. The absol did even pause, she just reached out her nose and tapped the pokeball, instantly capturing herself. Fremd smiled as she picked up the red and white sphere. "Well then, Addie, welcome to the team," she said, then looked to the right. "Abra, would you mind escorting me to a pokemon center so I can get Addie professional help? I can fix her up alright myself, but I'd prefer to have her checked out by someone who knows exactly what they are doing." The little abra nodded and soon enough, Fremd was accepting Addie's pokeball back from Nurse Joy. The abra from before took them back to Fremd's campsite willingly enough, but then he left for parts unknown.

/*/

_ August 17th, 1998_

_ I've come to realize something. I've begun to actually call my companions 'my pokemon.' Addie allowed herself to be captured without a fight, after the initial fight with Blaze. And I've found that... I enjoy training with these pokemon who have placed themselves under my authority. It's rather... odd. It's like... okay. I've never considered myself a pokemon trainer. I'm a camper. A hiker. I'll even admit to being a little bit of a thief. I stole supplies from Team Magma after all. But I've never considered myself a_ trainer._ I now find myself facing a reality, one I never thought I'd face, not even in the months I've already spent in this strange new world. I am a pokemon trainer on a journey. Sure I'm sending research on pokemon habits back to Prof. Birch, but I'm also training pokemon. I'm not going to go enter a pokemon league tournament or anything like that but... I am a trainer. I was sent here by Arceus to train Ash, but who said that was all I had to do? I've been training Blaze, Stacy, Hector, and more recently Pam for quite some time. I felt a thrill go through me when I faced Addie. I looked at her and I thought, 'I'd love to train her.' I thought, 'I want it.' I have a few places I have to hit up, lucario aura trainers being one of them, but I think... I want to focus more on travel than I've been doing. I'm not going to stay in the mountains my whole life. I can't. And besides, this is an opportunity for me to spread my wings. I never thought of traveling or backpacking back home. Now, I carry my home with me. I am a wandering trainer, seeking after the natural beauty of this world. It's not the one I was born into, but it is still Earth. So, I'm gonna say God created it, and I'm going to walk it. Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Johto, Kanto. Big regions, the lot, but I'm going to walk them all. And if I can manage not spending a year or two in a single region, I'm going to go to other Regions. I just have to be in Kanto during the whole Tree of Beginnings thing. I can manage that. And who knows, maybe I'll stick to Rota for a year or so before hand._

/*/

_August 18__th__, 1998_

_ Addie is so cool! She saved my life from a land slide. I love this girl! Blaze is being a pest about his new status as a blaziken. I can't understand him yet, but body language is fairly universal. So are punches. Heh, Hector's a beast when he puts his mind to it. I love my pokemon._

/*/

_August 19__th__, 1998_

_ Okay. I'm tired of this mountain. I'm calling the league on this base. I have all the supplies I need. For now. I wonder if whoever comes to clean up this base will let me help? I really don't like these Magma punks. They tried to black mail me into joining! And I'm not even that strong a trainer! Stinking criminal organization with stupid plans and goals and freaky hair. Honestly, what's up with this world and unnatural hair colors? Not to mention those who have hair that defies gravity and the laws of physics. Okay, I never studied physics, but even I know when something's not right!_

/*/

_August 23__rd__, 1998_

_ I got to help take down the base. I love Blaze. And Blaze Kick. It is satisfying. And watching as those grunts who left me supplies realized I wasn't part of the Team made my day. Also, some of the guys might be a bit scared of me. On both sides. Heh. This girl got firepower and she ain't afraid to use it!_

/?/

A/N: And there you go. Another pokemon for our intrepid 'heroine.' Who will she meet next? Are there any bases safe? And just how did she scare the league trainers sent to deal with the Magma base she called in?


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. At all. But Fremd's mine! And I'm rather pleased with her.

**Chapter 12:** Mighty Mike

_September 3__rd__, 1998_

_ I'm now at Mount Pyre. It's not a 'Mount.' It's a mass grave. I don't think I'm going to be here for long. This place... it's giving me the hebi-jebis already, and I'm outside the thing! Well, I figure I can at least 'hike' the thing. Not sure why I'm doing this, but it seems like one of those bucket list type things ya know? And besides, there's trainers in there I can battle. Battles are satisfying things, I've found. Ah well, time to turn in for the night. Sure hope no ghosts come by to trouble me in my sleep. Freaky ghost types, popping up out of nowhere..._

/*/

_September 4__th__, 1998_

_ I'm at the top of Mount Pyre. The trainers here weren't too bad. I'm going to have a rough time getting back down without my pokemon all fainting. It was tough getting up here! Darn freaky ghosts..._

/*/

_September 5__th__, 1998_

_ I think I'm being followed. I can't be sure though, because there are quite a few pokemon who live around the base of the tower. Still, I get the feeling I'm being followed by someone. I feel like, somebody's watching me~! And I have no privacy~! Ah! No! Make it stop!_

/*/

_ September 6th, 1998_

_ It's a meditite. He's still following me. He let me see him, I just know it! I wonder if singing that annoying song will get him to back off? Or it could get me pummeled by my pokemon. I swear, those crafty critters know how to get out of their pokeballs on their own. Still, I like them better than that crazy horse! They didn't interfere with my death. I could have seen my parents again! Dratted weed munching, lazer firing, red eyed, wheelbellied, no-mouth, carrot crunching, jerk wad equine!_

/*/

_September 7__th__, 1998_

_ Blaze has begun to scowl at me. I do believe he doesn't like my humming. Well, I'll just have to try whistling tomorrow, won't I?! Oh, and the meditite is still following me. I know it's a fighting/psychic type, but I just don't know. Should I ask it if it wants to join me, or let it come to me? I wouldn't mind training it, but... Pam and her attitude come to mind. Decisions decisions decisions..._

/*/

_September 8__th__, 1998_

_ So... remember that meditite? The one only I would know about and that I've been writing about for the past couple of days? Yeah. That one. Well... today... he kinda... jumped into the middle of my training bout with Blaze. And got pummeled. It wasn't my fault! The crazy guy jumped between me and Blaze when both of us were attacking! I was trying to duck under his High Kick and then land a punch on his stomach when this crazy fighting/psychic type jumped at us! He caught both the High Kick and my punch and then ended up flying into Hector who somehow managed to use something resembling Seismic Toss and flung him toward Pam who was running a punching drill and he got caught in that and then he stumbled into Stacy who shocked the ever-loveing daylights out of him which then caused him to careen back toward me and Blaze, who was laughing at the whole thing, and I caught the poor abused Meditite but we both tumbled to the ground due to the impact of his poor self hitting me. So now, I've got one severely beat up Meditite resting by the fire wrapped up in medicated bandages and a bowl of Oran berries beside him. Man, this means I'm going to have to take him to the pokemon center and get him healed up so I don't feel like a total loser. Ah~! How did my life get so crazy? Is this just what happens to pokemon trainers? They have one crazy thing after another happen to them? Ash, I'm sorry. I've finally realized why you had so many 'filler' episodes. I call it 'poke-train-syndrome.' Don't judge, I'm still working on it. But it has to be some sort of syndrome! Perhaps... Potter Syndrome? No. Murphy's Law Syndrome? Hum. Yeah. That sounds about right. Gosh darn it! I'm going to have to learn how to deal with all this craziness! Well, as Mad-Eye always says, 'CONSTANT VIGILANCE!'_

/*/

When the sun crested the trees, Fremd woke to find the meditite that had followed her from Mount Pyre to be up and about. "Ah good, you're alive. I worried there for a moment," she said, getting up. The bowl she had left out was empty, so she picked it up and filled it with water before handing it to the like blue and white pokemon. "You're a hardy little fellow, I'll give you that. Had I gone through what you did yesterday, I'd likely be dead," she said with a grin. The meditite looked as though he blushed as he took the water. When he was done, Fremd asked him why he followed her. She wasn't expecting an answer she could understand, so she was a little surprised when she heard a voice in her head.

"You are different from the others. Stronger, smarter, more willing to work _with_ your pokemon to make them stronger. I wanted to be a part of that, but I didn't know if you'd just knock me out instead of capturing me. So I followed you," the meditite answered. Fremd blinked.

"I just want you to know... that was one of the strangest things I've ever experienced," she said. The meditite chuckled, then stilled when he saw the pokeball Fremd was holding. She was looking at it intently, like she was considering some heavy problem. Then, she held it out with a small smile. "I'd be honored to have someone like you on my motley team," she said. Grinning, the meditite hopped into the pokeball, the device instantly dinging to signify a capture. Fremd chuckled as she picked the sphere up. "Welcome to the team... Mighty Mike."

/*/

_September 9__th__, 1998_

_ I captured that meditite today. He's a real trooper! And he can use his psychic powers to 'talk' to me. It's pretty cool. However, I have a feeling the others are going to use him as a translator and I'm going to have to put him in his 'ball to keep him from being overwhelmed by them all. Ah, good times, good times._

/*/

_September 10__th__, 1998_

_ I visited a pokemon center today, got my partners all healed up good. After that, I introduced Mike to the rest of the team. As predicted, they started using him as a translator. And they found his name rather funny. Mike the Meditite. I stand by my decision though. I stand by it. And Mike doesn't mind it. He actually rather likes it. So there. And yet another fighting type is on my team. Whoo hoo!_

/?/

A/N: And there you have it! Another team member, another land mark. What will she face next? Will she find it as daunting as everyone else, or will she treat it with contempt and disinterest? Tune in next time for Chapter 13: Another Friend?


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated this in so long. Pokemon is just so hard for me to write! And I got wrapped up in The World Changed(Harry Potter) and my new story Project Red, Code Freelancer(Red Vs Blue). And, as I've said, Pokemon is just so hard for me! But, here's a new chapter for you.

**Chapter 13:** Another Friend?

Fremd looked over her team as they trained and smiled. They were looking good, though the team looked a little full. In fact, she now had exactly six pokemon on her team. She chuckled and shook her head. And to think, there had been a time when she didn't want to be a trainer. She still didn't, really, she was actually rather enjoying her travels, but there was an undeniable connection between her and those quirky critters. Still, after nearly a year of traveling around Hoenn, Fremd felt it was time to move on. "Alright ladies and gents! Time to pack it up and move it out!" she called to her pokemon friends. They came bounding toward her, then all but Blaze and Addie entered their pokeballs. "Alright then, that makes this a bit easier," Fremd chuckled, picking up the occupied balls and clipping them to the specialized clasps adorning the belt Professor Birch had given her. It was a little worn, and a bit stained from sweat and rain, as well as a few stray attacks and a bit of blood. Fremd didn't mind that, as she felt it was merely broken in. Blaze Fist, who was still rather pleased at being a fully evolved pokemon, picked up her large pack, which held the majority of their food stores. "Ready to go, Blaze?" The blaziken nodded and if Fremd didn't know better, she'd say he grinned.

/*/

_May 10__th__, 1999_

_ It's been eleven months, to the day, since I set out on my journey, and a lot has happened in that time. I've really come to love training my pokemon, and I think... I think they've come to love me. I know Mike and Blaze Fist sure love sparring with me! Honestly, Mr. Lennox..._

/*/

Fremd paused in writing her nightly journal entry, pain gripping her heart. This was the first time she was mentioning her lost family by name. Even before she was orphaned, the Lennoxes were _family_. Even nearly a year later, it was still painful. She grit her teeth and ploughed on. No way was this going to beat her! Not after what she'd been through.

/*/

_Mr. Lennox was an amazing instructor, but my Fighting Type pokemon are even better. Faster, stronger, and varying in size... they're a tough crowd. And I think... training myself along with them makes them respect me just that little bit more. I'm... actually kinda honored. Well. I think I'm getting a bit off track here. I was talking about what has happened. List time!_

_I've grown to love being a Pokemon trainer. There. I said it._

_I've learned so much about wild pokemon that I've sent five whole notebooks, filled with neat, tight, writing back to Professor Birch. I'll be dropping the last notebooks for Hoenn off in person when I ask him about traveling to Sinnoh._

_I've 'caught' a full, six Pokemon, team._

_I learned of the oddity of 'packs'_

_I now carry the essentials(all my berries in the left side pocket, unoccupied Pokeballs in front right pocket, fishing rod, bike, potions and hold items in front left pocket, right side pocket has what TMs and HMs I have come across, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, two full changes of clothes,my occupied pokeballs, my pokenav, and my evolution stones and anything else I should be given or pick up an deem important in the main zipper pocket.)_

_I've been captured by Team Magma._

_I've been offered an apprenticeship by a member of the Hoenn Elite Four._

_I turned him down._

_I found my poke-nav has a bible... or it was added. Whatever, it's there!_

_I rescued Pam from a young Hunter J. Punk._

_Pam opened up._

_I've seen almost all of Hoenn._

_I made... an acquaintance out of Norman Maple._

_I've developed my own method of giving orders to my Pokemon quickly._

_People I meet have begun to call me The Number Trainer_

_Some call me The Dancer_

_There was even a guy who called me The Pokemon Exile._

_ So yeah. A lot has happened. And now, I'm heading back to Littleroot Town. From the opposite direction I left from. And I'm fairly sure I've hit all the important spots in Hoenn. If not... I can just see them when I start traveling with Ash. Perhaps I should go to Kanto and Johto after Sinnoh, instead of last like I had planned. Eh, I'll see when I get there. I suppose it depends on how soon I want to get a real handle on my aura abilities. And what do they actually do anyway? Sure the movie with Mew and the Tree of Beginnings was my favorite Pokemon movie(yeah, I watched _some_ Pokemon when I was younger. It was the human characters in the anime I couldn't stand. Ugh. Idiots.) but they didn't really go into what aura _was_ in that! And then they never touched on it again! Ugh. Continuity people! It's kind of important! Anyway, enough rambling from me. Time for bed._

/*/

_May 11__th__, 1999._

_ I'm still walking. Headed to Professor Birch's lab. I'm going to Kanto. Yeah, I had planned on going straight to Sinnoh, but I'm really feeling a draw toward Kanto. It sucks. Like rain on your wedding day, a free ride when you've already paid..._

/*/

Blaze was startled when his trainer began to sing. It was an odd blend of upbeat and melancholic, and yet... Blaze thought it suited his trainer to a 'T.'

* "An old man turned ninety-eight

he won the lottery and died the next day.

It's a black fly in your Chardonnay.

It's a Death Row pardon... two minutes too late.

Isn't it ironic... don't ya think?

It's like ra~ain... on your wedding n~ight.

It's a fre~e ride... when you've already paid.

It's the good advice... that you just didn't take.

Who would've thought... it figures.

Mr. Play it Safe was afraid to fly

he packed his suitcase and kissed his kids goodbye

he waited his whole darn life to take that flight

and as the plane crashed down he thought

'Well isn't this nice...'

And isn't it ironic... don't you think?

It's like ra~ain... on your wedding n~ight.

It's a fre~e ride... when you've already paid.

It's the good advice... that you just didn't take.

Who would've thought... it figures.

Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you

when you think everything's okay and everything's going right

and life has a funny way of helping you out when

you think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up

in your face.

A traffic jam when you're already late

a no-smoking sign on your cigarette break.

It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife

It's meeting the man of my dreams

and then meeting his beautiful wife

and isn't it ironic... don't you think.

A little too ironic... and, yeah, I really do think...

It's like ra~ain... on your wedding n~ight.

It's a fre~e ride... when you've already paid.

It's the good advice... that you just didn't take.

Who would've thought... it figures.

Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you.

Life has a funny, funny way... of helping you out

helping you out." *

Yes. That song suited Fremd quite well. '_I wonder if this is what humans call a 'theme song?_'' the blaziken wondered silently to himself as he watched his trainer nod and go back to her pokenav. He didn't know what she was so busily tap tapping out, but she seemed to find it rather important.

/*/

_Okay. Where was I? Oh yeah! Going to Kanto. Ugh. Not sure why, but I _really_ feel like that's where I need to go. Eh, maybe I'll get to meet Ash's father. He shouldn't be gone yet... right? RIGHT!?_

/*/

_May 12__th__, 1999._

_ I want a Ponyta. I really want a Ponyta. Well, maybe, in Kanto, I can catch one! YEAS! And after a year in Kanto, go to Johto. _Then_ go to Sinnoh. It's foolproof!_

/*/

_ May 13th, 1999._

_ Walking. Is. Boring. To. The. Extreme. Am. Loosing. Mind. Help. Me. Please._

/*/

_ May 14th, 1999._

_ Still. Loosing. Mind. Acrues. Help. Save. Sanity!_

/*/

_ May 16th, 1999._

_ That was not what I meant when I asked for you to save my sanity! You evil, evil, evil equine! If I see another Magma member in my natural... or un-natural for that matter... life it will be too soon! And said member shall suffer a horrible fate worse than death. Yes, I am that evil. Oh, you want to know what I'll do? I'll hog tie them in the scratchy twine I've begun making from the stems of berries, smother them in honey, then drop them in the Arcanine pens at the nearest Police Station! As I said, a fate worse than death. Hum. no. not bad enough. Perhaps, instead of simply dropping them, itching and covered in honey, in front of a large pack of Growleth and Arcanine, I shall first let Blaze Fist use them as a 'sparring partner.' Then, when Blaze is done, I'll start telling them stories of what I did to the last Magma Grunts I encountered... before letting them go a round with Mike. And then... I'll nurse their wounds while tutting like a mother hen, petting their hair and telling them I won't let the nasty Pokemon hurt them any longer. And when they're mostly well again, I'll use them for a 'sparring partner' before hog tying them in my special twine, smothering them in honey and dropping them in the nearest Police Station's Arcanine pen with a large 'special delivery' written on their forehead in magic marker! Oh yes, I am indeed that evil. All shall tremble before me! Mwahahahahahaha!_

/*/

_ May 17th, 1999._

_ Er... I... um... that is to say..._

_._

_._

_._

_I got nothing. Nothing! I really lost it for a while there. But I stand by what I said about Magma. Stupid idiots who can't see that their goals are completely detrimental to humans and Pokemon alike, not to mention the regular flora and fauna. Short sighted lava heads should all get lost in a dessert with a single canteen of water and no way to contact the outside world for two weeks. See what they think of getting rid of the oceans then!_

/*/

_ May 18th, 1999._

_ I have made... a terrible discovery. I have already taken permanent leave of my senses. They have welcomed me to Kookie Land. That's right. I am no longer sane. People have been telling me I was crazy since I turned thirteen, but I never believed them. Now... I see just how right they were. But that's okay. I am me, and God loves me. He loves us all. The fighters, the dreamers... and me._

_._

_._

_._

_Okay, I'm done now._

/*/

_ May 19th, 1999._

_ I can see the city! Only a hundred miles to go. Frogger._

/*/

_ May 20th, 1999._

_ I have reached the lab! Woot woot! Warm shower and, maybe?, a paycheck here I come!_

/*/

Fremd yawned and stretched slowly as she woke from the deepest sleep she'd had in over a year and a month. Not that she was counting. Sure she stayed at a few Pokemon Centers to get her Pokemon checked over, but she had never felt completely at ease at those Centers. Their open door policies made her edgy. She looked at the chair and desk set that sat against the right hand wall. "Oh, bless you Professor," she moaned, grinning at the fresh set of clothes laid out for her. It was a simple ensemble, but it suited her. Especially when she realized the material it was made out of. The dark blue shirt was short sleeved and hung five inches past her waist, the jeans were rugged denim, and someone had detailed her boots for her. A morning shower, a change of clothes, and a lovely home cooked breakfast later, she reached into her belt bag and pulled out...

"Are those what I think they are?" Birch asked. Fremd smirked as she slid them across the table.

"Four notebooks of first hand research of the pokemon in the northern mountains. Oh! um... I... may have included a few observations on... um... the effect of certain berries on humans," she added with a faint blush. Birch blinked at her.

"Why are you acting so upset? That's wonderful!" he said. She chuckled weakly.

"Well... that's... kinda the reason I'm a little over a month late getting back," she said. Birch quirked an eyebrow and Fremd found herself telling him about how she'd gotten stuck in a cave during a snow storm and all she had to eat were berries and how she had decided that a smoothie would be the best way to get the nutrients out of it and so she made this truly disgusting tasting concoction and it actually acted like a meal but it gave her something similar to a caffeine buzz and how she didn't recommend living off of it for too long but it could be done and...

"Okay okay! Duly noted," Birch said with a smirk. Fremd shut her mouth with a 'click' and stared at her eggs, mortified. "I'm glad you wrote down the effects of these berries on humans. Maybe you should apply for a researcher's license yourself, focus on berries and how they affect pokemon versus humans," he added. Fremd glared at him.

"No. Way. Ho. Zea," she ground out. Birch shrugged.

"Have it your way. Oh, my nice should be coming by soon. I'd like it if the two of you could have a match. I'm sure she'd like it as well," he said, shooting her a sly glance. Fremd shrugged, tossed back the last of her orange juice, stood, grabbed her bomber jacket, and tromped out the door.

"Don't try to manipulate me, Birch. I really don't like it."

/*/

Mimi tromped into her uncle's home, bone weary and covered in muck from the knee down with leaves in her amazingly tangled hair. "Good golly! What happened to you?!" called her uncle Birch. She chuckled mirthlessly.

"Long story, uncle. And one best told _after_ a hot bath and a good meal," she said, heading straight for her room at the lab. When she returned, she saw another at the table. "Who... exactly... are you?" she asked, cautious. The unknown young woman, she couldn't have been older than nineteen, stood slowly, casually slipping a thick leather jacket off the back of her chair.

"I'm... Fremd. And you?" she said evenly. Mimi blinked, then gave a feral grin.

"Mimi Birch, Dan's my uncle," she said. Fremd blinked, then bowed slightly at the waist.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mimi. Your uncle was the one to help me... pick up the pieces... as it were. I take it you are a trainer?" Mimi nodded, wondering where this was going. Fremd suddenly grinned, showing all her teeth, her eyes lighting up with what could only be...

"Battle lust," Mimi muttered softly, feeling... stunned? Or excited? She didn't know. All she knew was, this wasn't a trainer she wanted to cross. And the woman was obviously a trainer. Tanned skin, calloused knuckles, a small burn scar just under her left ear, and a specialized belt.

"You feel it?" Fremd asked. Mimi chuckled. So, she wanted to know if she had found a kindred spirit did she?

"I'm a tournament trainer," she answered, as if that was all the answer needed. Fremd scoffed, but there was an understanding in the sound, in the look of her face.

"I'm not one for gym matches or televised Leagues, but I can respect those who live for that. I understand there is a certain... thrill... to be gained from it. Myself, I prefer a more... hermity lifestyle. Though, at the moment, I'm more of a wanderer than a hermit," Fremd said. Mimi laughed.

"Are you now? Sounds like that 'rouge trainer' who 'can't be bothered by something as silly as the opportunity of a life time,'" she said. Fremd blushed, it was slight, but it was there. "Oh. My. Word! You're the Exile?!"

"Wait... they're really calling me that?" Fremd asked, shocked.

"Yep."

"Huh. I would have thought their call me Wanderer or something. Huh. Exile. Yup. That fits. Oh so well," she said, eyes growing sad and distant. Mimi shook her head and picked up the bowl of soup, carrying it out the door.

"Well? You want that match or don't you?" she asked. Fremd blinked, then grinned.

"You're on."

/*/

Fremd carefully mapped out the order of her team... or tried to. She needed more information on her opponent. "How long have you been a trainer, Mimi?" she asked fiddling with Addie's 'ball.

"Since I was ten. I'm almost nineteen." Almost nine years. Fremd felt that thrum in her blood increase.

"Finally, someone I _know_ can beat me! Oh, I've been spoiling for a fight like this! Ya know, a lot of people are set off balance by my style. I sure hope that doesn't effect the outcome of this match quite as much," she told Mimi. The other girl tilted her head, short brown bangs falling into her clear brown eyes.

"What do you mean, people are 'set off balance?'" she asked. Fremd shrugged, tossing out Addie.

"You'll see. Now, let's get this party started with Mambo Number Five, Addie dear," she said to the materializing absol. Mimi's eyes went wide at the sight of the majestic creature.

"Oh. Wow," she breathed. Fremd grinned.

"She's just as powerful as she is beautiful, I'll have you know."

"You have an absol," Mimi said, still in shock. Fremd blinked.

"Huh. Well what da ya know? Addie's an absol! Addie~! Why didn't you tell me?" she mock scolded. Addie chuffed in amusement.

"You... are strange."

"Eh. More fun that way. Besides, I think my oddness fits with my secondary type."

"Wait... how long have _you_ been a trainer?"

"Honestly? About two months shy of a year."

"And you already have a primary and secondary type?"

"... Ye~ah?"

"I think I just found a new rival!"

"Let's... just get through this match first, yeah?"

/*/

_ May 21st, 1999._

_ I found someone who can beat me. Mimi Birch, Professor Birch's niece. She swept my team, my whole team, the team that I've never had to switch out because they're the only team I have, with two pokemon. And boy howdy did it take me _everything_ to take down the one that I did! That gi... that _woman_ is _fierce_! And someone I would gladly call a friend. She calls it 'rival.' Meh. Whatever floats her boat. Perhaps a happy medium can be reached with the use of the term, 'comrade.' After all, comrades use each other to push themselves higher, just as rivals do. It's just a more friendly sounding term. Yes. I've found... a comrade. A kindred spirit, even if she's a Leaguer. I'm happy. Happy that someone actually took me down, made me look like a total noob. It's... humbling? Reassuring? Comforting? Eh, whatever it's called, I know it's a good thing. Perhaps what I'm looking for is the idiom 'she'll keep me honest.' Yeah. I think that's it. I've found someone to keep me honest._

/*/

_ May 22nd, 1999._

_ I've finished making arrangements to get to Kanto. Man I hope this doesn't come back to bite me! Oh, what am I saying?! I've been wanting to make contact with Ash for months! And who's to say I won't find something interesting to do while I'm in Kanto? Ooh! Or someone interesting! I wonder if there's anything that needs blowing up in Kanto? Dojo's? Wait wait wait! The Fushia Gym! Wasn't that run by ninja? … I think I know where I'm spending my year in Kanto! At least for this first round. I'll go back to Kanto to hang out in Rota and learn Aura from the (unknown)colony of lucario there. My life man. My _life.

/?/

A/N: *The title of the song is 'Ironic' and it's by Alanis Morissette. It's a good listen, though the style's a little odd. Check it out on YouTube!*


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I own only Fremd. And a laptop.

**Chapter 14:** The Undocumented Adventure

_May 24__th__, 1999._

_ Kanto. The starting point of the Pokemon craze with Pokemon Red and Pokemon Green. Pallet Town. The quaint, quiet little town that's really more of a village that was the gateway into the 'marvelous' world of Pokemon for so many children, from those who fell in love with the first games, to those who watched the anime. And here I am. Staying in Veridian... Viridenan... That Hard To Spell Shade of Green City. Man, the names around here. I mean really! Why make it so hard to spell Game Freak? Why?Anyhow... Ah~! How many true fans would die to be in my place~! And here I am, one of the few who would die to not be here. One of the ones who would rather move on than be given a second chance and an exciting mission. Ugh bleh._

/*/

_May 25__th__, 1999._

_ Wow. I... just... Wow. Miss Ketchum is already a single mother and Gary is already being raised by his Grandfather. And... and... Miss Ketchum welcomed me into her home and feed me and let me crash on her couch and play with her son while she left the house for a few things which turned into a three hour shopping trip and... Delilah Ketchum... you're either a Saint... or someone needs to start being your guardian angel._

/*/

It was the morning of May 26th, 1999 that Fremd finally made her way to Professor Oak's lab. When she entered, she was greeted by three wide eyed kids and a surprised looking older man. She could almost feel her 'battle mask' slip into place, all emotion locked away, as she looked over the kids. They were all around ten years old, all physically weaker than she thought was prudent for a pokemon trainer, and all but one had haughty eyes. She sniffed. "What's the world coming to huh? Where I grew up, parents didn't let their children fly on a plane alone until they were at least fourteen. And we didn't have wild pokemon running around," she stated, emotionless. The kids quaked under her gaze. "If you can't handle this..." she said, her mask crumbling and the worry and fear she felt for these poor, under-prepared kids shone through, "you're going to have troubles, kiddos."

"And who are you?" the older man, clearly Professor Oak, asked. Fremd pulled out the pokenav Birch had given her and tossed it to the older Professor. Oak scanned it, then nodded. "Ah. Birch warned me you might be paying me a visit. Though," here he looked up at her in mild confusion, "he didn't mention your... way with people." She smirked mirthlessly at him.

"He didn't? What a shame. I thought I told him I wanted to train pokemon to get away from people. I suppose the notebooks I keep sending him convinced him otherwise," she said. The kids shivered slightly but Fremd didn't shift. Her cold eyes remained fixed on Professor Oak until he shooed the children out of the lab.

"Birch told me you'd be coming to Pallet, and would likely pay be a visit, but not why. Care to enlighten me?" he said, leading her into a sitting room. Fremd hummed.

"Well, Professor Oak, I figured it would be only prudent to inform you of the work I'll be doing here in Kanto as well as my long term goals. Much is to be said of a good relationship with learned men, and women, such as yourself," she answered. Oak nodded.

"Birch told me about the first-hand accounts you've been sending him, but nothing about your long term goals," he said. Fremd nodded as well.

"Sounds a good deal like him. I'm going to be doing three things while in Kanto. Research into the habits of wild pokemon originating in Kanto, training at Fuchsia City Gym, and visiting the major landmarks of the region. I have come to understand that I cannot simply cut myself off and train with my pokemon, though I will forever prefer the cool shade of the forest and the wild thrill of the high mountains. Combining the two... is perfection," she explained. Oak hummed.

"Would it be possible for you to..."

"Assist you in the same manner I am assisting Professor Birch? I suppose. You study the interactions between pokemon and humans, correct?" she questioned. When the Professor responded with affirmation, the wanderer smiled. "That is not too far outside my goals. I shall see what I can divine, Professor. Also... I understand you are raising your young grandson?"

"Yes," Oak said, a shadow of grief passing over his face.

"My condolences for your loss, Professor," Fremd said, laying a hand on the aged man's shoulder, "and an offer of advice." Oak lifted his head, puzzled. Fremd smiled sadly at the man. "Delilah Ketchum is a wonderful woman, a little absent minded and exceedingly trusting, but a kind and loving woman who has a son of her own. Her husband is... not around and Ash would benefit from having a brother figure, as Gary would benefit from a woman's influence. Why not ask Delilah to watch Gary from time to time? She was willing to house me for a day, and even trusted me with her son for three hours! I doubt she would have any objections to helping you out."

"Ah. You have her measure, and after only one day?" Oak asked, surprised. Fremd chuckled.

"My best friend's father, who took me in after the death of my family, taught me how to read people. He was a retired solider, and good at his job," she said. Oak nodded once more and offered her some tea. She declined, stating that she wanted to get started as soon as possible. "But, if you give me your number, I'll give you a call every now and again," she offered with a smile. Oak nodded and input his number into her phone.

"Oh, before you go... Why..."

"Am I different in private than I was in front of the kids?" Fremd finished with a dangerous smirk. "Simple. Two of them were far too full of themselves, I could see it in their eyes. The third... I don't think she was ready, Professor. I picked up on that, just looking at them, and reacted accordingly. I was worried for them, so I gave them a taste of some of the worst things they'd encounter in the wide world," she said. Professor Oak frowned, then paled as the young woman in front of him pulled her shirt up to expose a rather painful looking scar. "I got this off a torkoal, when I was captured by a Magma cell in the wilds of Hoenn. I was held for four days, hearing sales pitch after sales pitch and getting pounded every time I refused to join Team Magma. Believe you me, the Stink Eye I gave those kids is nothing, _nothing_, compared to what they would face from robbers, thugs, and vagabonds of every description. Of sure, psychos that pretend to be all there are scarier than outright unpleasantness, but I couldn't very well emulate that now could I? No. So I gave them a taste of some of the more unfeeling trainers they might come across. Still, I doubt they will take my warning for what it is. They'll go ahead with their journeys, for better or worse, just like everyone else who has ever tried their hands at pokemon training," she explained. Oak shivered, still staring at the large burn that seemed to wrap around her entire torso.

"What..."

"Ember, thankfully. Though, I have a feeling it was a rather high level Ember, but still. It could have been a whole lot worse," Fremd said, letting her shirt fall back over the burn. "They had a Minun they tasked with... keeping me... under control," Fremd revealed, jaw tightening while her eyes glazed slightly, fingers tugging her collar and hair away from the base of her neck. There, Samuel Oak could see the tell-tale marks of a close range Thunder Wave. He closed his eyes in despair. If they had ordered that Minun to use something a bit stronger, Spark for example, Fremd would be dead. "So yeah, those kids aren't prepared for the darkness that's out there. Still," the woman said, shrugging her leather jacket back on, "I doubt those kids will be running into the likes of Team Magma here. They'll be sticking mostly to the established roads yeah? Not gallivanting off into the wilderness or plunging deep into the hearts of the big cities." Professor Oak shook his head.

"Team Rocket exists, but I do not believe they are as... entrenched... as Team Magma or Team Aqua," he said. Fremd's face darkened.

"Well then. I guess I have another goal while here in Kanto. Find the head of Team Rocket and... deal... with him," she growled. Professor Oak was put in mind of a snarling Mightyena. And if the rumors held even a spark of truth, then this young woman was almost as dangerous on her own as a fully grown Mightyena.

"Arceus have mercy on their souls," Oak intoned. Fremd laughed mirthlessly.

"Oh, Arceus himself won't be able to help the leader of any Team or Syndicate I get my hands on, Professor. Even the great Horse in the Sky is wary of me," she said, grinning disturbingly. The Professor shuddered and, after uploading directions to Fuchsia into her pokenav, waved her out. She gave a short bow and left, secure in the knowledge that she had at least one contact point in Pallet Town. That would make it easier when it came time to take over Ash's training.

/*/

_ May 26th, 1999, evening._

_ I do believe I freaked Professor Oak out. Just a little. Still, it's not every day a young woman walks into your lab, scares your students, reveals they plan to study the history of the region and research the habits of the native pokemon for a rival Professor before casually revealing she survived four days of torture. Or that she was an orphan who thought you should send your little orphan grandson to spend time with a woman she had only met the night before. Yeah. That would put anyone a little off kilter, wouldn't it? Of course, I have a bit of an unfair advantage here, having watched... some of the show and played... portions of... various pokemon games. Not a lot mind you, I never had a DS and I could never stand the anime, but yeah. I get the general... stuff. Man I suck at this._

_As a side note, I'm beginning to wonder if I should start writing in code, or at least German. Very few people around here seem to speak it. Hum... this bears pondering._

/*/

_ May 27th, 1999_

_ This forest man, this forest. WHAT IS UP WITH ALL THESES WEAK BUGS?! Seriously, I can knock them out myself. Heck, Blaze only has to walk past them and they faint. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but still! Ugh. I can't wait until I get to the tougher opponents. Come on! I know they're around!_

/*/

_ May 28th, 1999_

_ Still in the forest. I think I may be lost. I wish I had a flying pokemon!_

/*/

_ May 29th, 1999_

_ Finally out of the forest. Good golly was that annoying! Hopefully, I'll find some more interesting oppo... OH NO! I've turned into a battle maniac! Not cool man. Not cool._

/*/

_ May 30th, 1999_

_ Training. Walking. Getting challenged by idiot trainers who can't see that I'm vastly more experienced than them. Blah blah blah, yada yada yada, etc etc etc._

/*/

_ June 1st, 1999_

_ Kanto's pretty, no doubt about that, but it looks a lot like Hoenn. The land marks are different, sure, but the forests and the meadows... they all look alike. Blah._

/*/

_ June 12th, 1999_

_ I've finally made it to the shinobi gym. I'm currently camped outside the trapped perimeter. Ah~! I'm so excited! Hopefully they'll let me train here. If not... heh~! I'll just train in their woods, using their traps. A ninja uses what he has to his advantage... how much more a kunoichi?_

/*/

_ June 13th, 1999_

_ Kouga agreed to train me, but only on the condition that I not reveal the secrets of the shinobi way. That means... I must put you away, my journal. I'll update after I leave. Why must I put you away? Because all my complaints will have elements of my training in them. So... ja ne!_

/*/

_ May 11th, 1920_

_ Well, Kouga kicked me out after I beat him five times in a row. Without pokemon. Guess that means I was better than I thought when I went in, because a little under a year doesn't seem like enough time for me to have reached jonin level if I went in as a genin. Oh well. Is what it is. Time to go find me a ponyta! Wouldn't it be awesome if I came across a shiny ponyta? Oh! Those lovely blue flames! Yes. I want a shiny ponyta. I might settle for a regular ponyta, but I really want a shiny! Hehe~! Shiny._

/*/

Blaze walked alongside his trainer, excited to be facing the world with a woman like her. When he had discovered that he was going to travel the world with a human, he'd been excited. Then he talked to the pokemon of other trainers, and began to wonder if that was really what he wanted. The other pokemon were strong, yes, but... the stories they told of their trainers... Blaze hadn't wanted to be relied on for everything. He didn't want to have to dry clothes, light the camp fire, be a living flashlight, save his trainer from landslides or bullies, but he also didn't want to be called out just for battle or training. He wanted something more than that. When Fremd had shown up out of the blue, he had been intrigued by her. And the more time he spent with her, the more her learned of her, the more he respected her as a person. She had a strong character, could survive by herself in the forest for more than a day, and worked alongside her pokemon instead of just telling them what to do. He loved that she let them choose when they wanted to be in their pokeballs and when they wanted to walk, though it was kind of hard to let her know when they wanted out. Still, Blaze was happy having Fremd as a trainer, and he was excited to fight against her now that she had been released from her human training. "I wonder if there's someone out there who knows how to wield dual escrima sticks," he heard her mutter, and his grin grew just a little. Oh yeah, he lucked out on this one.

/*/

He stood alone in the tall grass, unmoving. Freak. Abnormality. Abomination. Weakling. Despair gripped his heart. At first, they had given him leeway, or had it been his mother, protecting him? It didn't really matter. He had been called names when he was a foal, but never outright abused. But, as he grew older, as he drew nearer to reaching adulthood and leaving his foal days behind, it had grown worse. There was more venom in the words, more fire in their eyes. He knew he wasn't the strongest, but that was because no-one would fight him. No-one wanted to get too close to the Cold Flame. '_Just because my mane is blue... does that make me weaker than them? Does that really make my flame cold?_' he wondered as he stood there, waiting for an attacker. Waiting for death. His heard had banished him, now that he had no-one to speak for him. And without a herd, what was left for him? "I love you Blaze, really I do. I bet I could sweep most gyms with you, but I really want a ponyta. Oh don't give me that look ya flame brained chicken! Ponyta's are cute, and they can evolve into gorgeous rapidash. They are also capable of carrying a rider, if properly trained. And since I don't fancy flying, I'd like land based mode of travel. The fact that they can flamethrower anyone who looks at them wrong is just a bonus. A rather nice bonus, but a bonus. Hey, look at it this way Blaze Fist, you get a sparring partner who won't get burned by your fire attacks. Oh, so that will make you relax and help me look? Wow. Feeling the love there, Flame Brain." What was that? Was that... was that a human? He crept forward, seeing what he thought was a female human shaking her head at a large bi-pedal bird pokemon... who was looking right at him. The pokemon raised his claw and pointed. He swallowed. Perhaps his death had come. The human turned with speed and precision. "Ah! A shiny ponyta! Lucky!" she exclaimed, and the voice certainly sounded female. He tilted his head, but strode forward. Lucky? To see a freak like him?

"I didn't expect to find a Blue Mane on our first day here, little ponyta," the large pokemon said. He shook his head.

"Why does the human act like this?" he asked. The large pokemon shrugged, grinning.

"Don't know to be honest. But she's always like this. Just thought you should know," he said.

"Well, how should we do this?" the human remarked, walking forward on soundless feet. He felt his eyes go wide. How was she doing that?! "I would very much like a ponyta to travel with, but I don't want one that is unwilling to leave his home or feels I am unworthy of him. So, three choices here for ya, Ranj. One, you walk away and I find another ponyta. Two, we battle and I capture you. Three, you tap this thing, and join me without a fuss or a big knock-down, drag-out fight. Which will it be?" The young ponyta blinked, then looked to the large pokemon.

"What?" the pokemon asked, giving the younger a puzzled look.

"She's your..."

"Trainer. Sparring partner. Companion. And she could be yours too. All you have to do, is give her an answer." The ponyta looked at the sphere in the human's hand, then decided, even if she was crazy, she was better than death. He willing went into the pokeball.

/*/

"YAHOO!" Fremd called, thrusting the pokeball into the air with a wild grin. "I have a shiny ponyta! I will call him Ranj, and he will be mine, he will be my Ranj." Blaze shook his head at her antics. "Come on out and meet the rest of the crew, Ranj!" Fremd said, tossing all her pokemon out. While the others were greeting Ranj, Fremd turned to Blaze, smirking. "I don't know what you said to him, I don't care what you said to him. I'm just grateful for the help. Now go be the big brother of the team!" she said, pushing the blaziken toward the group of excited pokemon. Chuckling, the young woman began to cook for her collection of pokemon. All in all, she felt this shorter trip to Kanto had been worth it. So worth it.

/?/

A/N: Yeah. One chapter. Nearly a year. Don't worry, Fremd will be doing more in Kanto later. She has to be there for Ash's Rota adventure after all. I just... wasn't feeling it with Kanto.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. If I did, I'd pay someone to revamp it for just about everything besides hand-held systems where you could use all of a pokemon's learned attacks and select four 'main attacks' which would be in the standard format but you could still select another move if you wanted, it would just take longer. Yeah. That concept doesn't work all that well on a hand-held, does it? Anyway, on with the story!

**Chapter 15:** So. Many. Magikarps!

Fremd grinned at her assembled pokemon. "Alrighty! Since we've got a new member, I thought it would be cool to have a series of games designed to test your limits and divine what it is you need to work on most," she said. "First up... racing! So, choose your opponent and line up!" The pokemon gave each other looks, then shrugged and paired up. Their trainer really was crazy, wasn't she?

/*/

Mimi pouted. "Jax. Of _course_ you'd stop me _now_," she growled, still pouting. How one could pout and growl at the same time, only Mimi knew. And she didn't like sharing her secrets. The young man across from her grinned, leaning against the entry to Fortree.

"Now _Mimi_, is that anyway to greet a friend who just wants a friendly battle?" he asked with his signature cocky grin. Mimi growled.

"All I've got is my magikarp," she bit out. Jax's eyes lit up with unholy glee.

"Oh? All I've got is my Sceptile!" he said. Mimi dropped the pout and snarled at him.

"You are incorrigible, you know that?" she ground out, giving him her darkest glare. Jax hummed, tossing a pokeball softly in his hand.

"You should really find a Dark Type to show you Nasty Plot and Scary Face. Your glares need work. Mimi twitched. Oh, how she wished she could just punch this creep in the face... but he'd already indirectly challenged her to a pokemon battle and the rules stated that once challenged to a pokemon battle, physical violence toward the challenger was illegal.

"Garp... show this creep what you can do!" she shouted, tossing out her level thirty-three magikarp. Not noticing the level of the pokemon sent against him, not even listening to the data Eris was giving him, Jax smirked and sent out his Sceptile.

"Prove your power, Sceptile!" he shouted. Mimi nearly scoffed at how weak, for a high level pokemon, the grass-type looked.

"Tackle!" Mimi bellowed. Garp flew forward, catching Jax off guard and dealing a fair amount of damage to Sceptile. "Don't let up!" she said.

"Absorb!" Jax called. Mimi snarled as Garp slowed down a little.

"You can do it, Garp!" she shouted. Garp somehow growled and _forced_ himself to move faster. Jax frowned.

"How is a Magikarp so strong?"

"Well, for one, he's level thirty-three. And for another... he's named Garp. It's a proven fact that any and all marines named Garp are impossibly strong," Mimi said, holding up a single finger, face emotionless. Jax was summarily unimpressed.

"He's a fish. Not a marine," he said. Mimi shrugged.

"He's a marine animal. And a fighter. The illogical logic applies," she said. Sceptile sent his trainer a Look.

"Hit him with a Night Slash!" Jax tried.

"Dodge and Tackle!" Garp nodded and, somehow, dodged the Night Slash and crashed down on the Sceptile. This meowth and pikachu went on for a while, until, when Garp was just one hit away from fainting, he pulled out a win... dropping an Everstone just before the last hit landed. Jax gaped as Garp the Magikarp evolved into Garp the Gyrados. "Oh? So you finally decided to evolve huh?" Mimi asked, scooping up the Everstone as she approached her pokemon.

"Dos," Garp rumbled, bringing his head down. Mimi smiled and rubbed his head, just as she had done after ever battle he'd fought in.

"Well, I want you to know this changes nothing... aside from your training," she said with a smile. Garp, somehow, smiled and lightly butted his head against his trainer's hand. She chuckled. "You wanna try 'walking' or should I put you in your ball until we get to the pokemon center?" In answer, Garp returned himself. Chuckling again, Mimi scooped it up and stepped over the still shocked Jax. "Better luck next time, creep," she said.

"I got beat... by a _magikarp!_" Jax muttered, having serious trouble coming to terms with the fact.

/*/

First up was Blaze against Hector. Blaze won with a time of one minute, around the fifty yard wild clearing they were training in, while Hector had a time of one minute fifty-five seconds. "Alright! Not too bad, but could still be improved," Fremd said with a nod, directing them to the pond for a drink. "Next up... Mike against Addie!" The two lined up, gave each other a challenging look, then took off at the sound of shattering wood. Fremd had chosen to break a 'board' as the start signal so she could feel like she was training alongside her pokemon... even if she was going to be racing Pam. Both the currently racing pokemon were swift, but Addie had a solid three seconds on Mike and so finished with an impressive time of fifty-five seconds.

/*/

Ranj looked over at Stacy. "No matter what happens... you're not going to hate me... are you?" he asked, a little nervous. The electric mouse grinned at him.

"Not on your life, Flame Head," she said, then fell back forward to rest lightly on all four paws, eyes focused on the path ahead, tail held aloft. Fremd broke the board and they were off! Due to all the time he had spent running from bullies in recent years, Ranj was rather quick on his feet, but Stacy was no slouch herself. Whenever she was out of her pokeball, she was trotting along beside Fremd, who apparently didn't understand the meaning of the term 'leisurely walk' nor the word 'meander.' And for the past year, she was hardly ever in her pokeball but instead trailing after her trainer as she was schooled in the ancient arts of the shinobi. It was a constant battle between the two for the lead. One moment it was Ranj, then Stacy would leap off a rock and gain a minute lead, then Ranj would speed up a little and Stacy would growl and match him. Finally, the home stretch raced to meet the determined runners. Stacy let out a wordless cry and, with a burst of energy and a crackle of electricity, she passed the line a half a second ahead of Ranj, both of them with the top times at thirty-seven seconds. Fremd grinned at them, holding out a handful of Oran and Pecha berries.

"Good work you two, take five while me and Pam take our turn," she said, rubbing them both on the head as they chowed down on their treats. The two let out happy noises, words being wasted at this point, and laid down on the sweet, soft grass, drinking in the fresh smell of the water.

/*/

Fremd nodded to herself after her race with Pam. The panda _really_ needed to work on her speed... that or she was holding back. Seriously, Fremd had managed the lap in a minute and a half. And Pam didn't pass her even once. There was something seriously wrong with that. "Alright! Next up... erm... well... I wanted to do an obstacle course, but I... don't have... obstacles," she said sheepishly. Her pokemon shook their heads, then started walking toward the border between Kanto and Johto. "WAIT! I need to call ahead! What if we're stopped by the border patrol!" Fremd shouted, holding out a hand. The pokemon stopped, then dropped their head's with a sigh all together. Fremd chuckled and pulled out her poke-nav and called Professor Oak. "Hey, Sammy! Think you could help a girl out?"

"What do you need?" Samuel Oak asked, Sweat Dropping at such a young woman calling him 'Sammy.'

"Yeah... what do I need to do to cross over into Johto without any problems?" Professor Oak blinked.

"You just... cross over?" he said, confusion making it could out more as a question than as a statement. Fremd grinned.

"Thanks! Could you let the local Professor know I'm coming? I'd like to meet with him first, before I do anything else," she said.

"Well, good luck then," Professor Oak said before the connection cut. He blinked, shook his head, and went on with his daily routine. Fremd sure was an odd one.

/*/

_May 14__th__, 1999_

_ Well, I'm in Johto. It's... the same. Seriously, it is. Oh well. Can't expect too much variance now can you? Anyway, another tourist jaunt before I check out the natural reserves up in the mountains. I wonder if there are any Pokemon worth taking with me around here._

/*/

_May 16__th__, 1999_

_ Reached a quaint town today. There are some nice shops here. And a dojo. And it just happens to be my birthday. Happy birthday to me, Happy birthday to me, Happy birthday dear Fremd~! Happy birthday to me~!_

/*/

_ May 17th, 1999_

_ Ya know... I don't even know why I wanted to come here. It's actually pretty boring. I could have gone to Sinnoh or Unova. Kalos even! Could'a hung out in Foretree with Winona. Hey, that sounds pretty sweet actually. I wonder if there are any other tree villages. Oh oh! What if there's one in Johto!? Oh man, now I need to go find out._

/*/

_ May 18th, 1999_

_ No tree towns in Johto. So sad. But, there is a hang out for ninjas. I wonder if there's anyone who can dual wield escrima sticks there? Ah well. Today was pretty standard. I got three more paragraphs in my notebooks. One for Birch and one for Oak. OH! I need to go visit Professor Elm in New Bark Town._

/*/

_ May 19th, 1999_

_ I reached Mahogany Town today. Man, those guys in Cianwood City weren't joking! The people here are extremely suspicious of outsiders and there are a lot of ninja here. They don't broadcast that they're ninjas, but as they say, takes one to know one. I'll be leaving in the morning._

/*/

_ May 20th, 1999_

_ Found out I was headed the wrong way for New Bark Town and had to turn around. Bleagh. Maybe I can challenge the next gym, let out some frustration. I wonder how good these gym leaders really are?_

/*/

_ May 21st, 1999_

_ Still walking. Found more pokemon species that are only native to Johto. They were kind enough to go about their normal routines while I sat there, studying them. It was... nice._

/*/

Norman sighed, giving the man in front of him a bland look. "Please tell me you have something other than Magikarp in your line-up," he asked. The 'fisherman' chuckled.

"Nope!" Norman whimpered, dropping his head.

"This is going to be a slaughter," he muttered, sending out his faithful Zigzagoon. "Ziggy... sic 'em," he said, waving a negligent hand at the 'challenger.' Ziggy gave what could loosely be called a smile and proceeded to use the hopping fish as a soccer ball. It soon fainted and returned, the 'trainer' sending out his next pokemon... only for that Magikarp to get tossed into the air by Dig, then Taken Down. The outcome was clear even before the dust from the resultant crash had settled. The third, and last, Magikarp looked faintly resigned as it appeared on the field. "Make it quick, would you? I'm suddenly in the mood for sushi," Norman remark, sending the poor fish a sympathetic look. It somehow conveyed to him the sentiment of, 'don't blame you/it's not personal.' Ziggy gave the fish a swift, diagonal hit with a rather impressive Iron Tail and the fight was over. The fisherman pouted, but handed over the customary loser's fee.

"Ah, shoulda' known this would 'appen. 'Appens every time," he said as he sat back down, tossing his line into the sea. Norman shook his head and continued on his way. Really, battles like that were just embarrassing... for the one with the Magikarp.

/*/

_ May 24th, 1999_

_ It rained. A lot. I mean, poured! Worse than that time I threatened the Legendary Pokemon! It was crazy. And, it kept me running. I was too tired to write these last two days. Thankfully, I made it to Professor Elm's lab late this afternoon. He's a nice enough fellow, but I'm not too sure I'll be calling him up for a casual conversation. In fact, he gave me a... I'm... not sure what it is. I forgot the name. But he evolves into a typhlosion! I remembered that! So, I named him Ty. Original, I know, but hey! My fire spitting baby hedgehog! I can name him whatever I very well feel like. So there!_

/*/

Fremd was bored. All her pokemon could see it. They shared pointed looks, and held muttered conversations, but no-one could come up with a solution. Until Blaze suggested getting her a human travel companion. Or a rival. There wasn't much difference between the two in his mind. So, they started talking about how they could find her a rival. Of course, being pokemon, they couldn't make themselves readily understood. This limitation made it rather hard for them to make much progress at all. Still, they did what they could.

/*/

_ May 25th, 1999_

_ My companions have begun accepting challenges on my behalf. It's annoying... and endearing at the same time. I wonder why they're doing this. Maybe they've noticed how bored I've been lately. They are so sweet! Still, I kind of wish they'd stop. All these challenges back to back are... draining to put it lightly. Well, we shall see._

/*/

_ May 26th, 1999_

_ Again, my pokemon have accepted challenges left and right._

_._

_._

_._

_A~~~nd they just did it again, just as I was typing. I wonder what set them off. It couldn't have been boredom, I make sure to exercise them all regularly, as well as spar with them. Or are they picking up on my current distaste for routine? I know my last entry suggested that they're doing this to cure my boredom, but I can't help but wonder._

/*/

Turned out, all her pokemon were waiting for, was a proper rival. Though, before they got there, they encountered an opponent who got Fremd giggling. "Really? All you have are five magikarp?" she asked. "Not even a tentacool or a goldeen?" The fisherman pouted.

"That's right," he said, a little sulky. Fremd giggled, shaking her head.

"You should look into getting a different water type to finish out your team. Your magikarp won't get experience if you can't knock out your opponent," she told him. "As it is, I'll see if I can help you out." This, naturally, got the fisherman's attention.

"How?" he asked. Fremd smirked and held up two fingers.

"Ya got two options. One, I talk one of my pokemon into throwing the match, or two, I lend you one of my pokemon to help you catch a different water type. Oh wait!" she said, hastily holding up a third finger, "there's a third option. You fish and pull up the pokemon you want and I'll weaken it for you. It's all up to you of course. No pressure," she finished, shrugging. Her opponent considered this, then sighed and withdrew his magikarp.

"I can't keep doing this to my team. What pokemon do you have?" he asked, sounding quite defeated.

"A blaziken, pikachu, heracros, pan... grow? Ponyta, meditite, absol, and Ty, my baby fire hedgehog," Fremd listed. The fisherman blinked.

"I'm glad I didn't battle you. You'd have swamped me, despite the type advantage," he said. Fremd chuckled with a shrug.

"Well? You still have a choice," she told him.

"I'll borrow your..." here the fisherman trailed off, wondering what exactly she'd meant by 'fire hedgehog'.

"Ty?" Fremd asked. Upon getting a nod, she pulled out his 'ball. "Okay, but be prepared to choose another if he refuses," she told the man before tossing the 'ball into the air and releasing Ty.

/*/

Contrary to what most believe, pokemon can hear from inside a pokeball. And hear Ty did. So, when he popped out of his 'ball, he sent his trainer a 'really?' look before trotting over to the fishguy. "You are a terrible trainer... but an alright guy. I'll help you out," he said, then nodded to Fremd. She chuckled, again.

"I'd say he's willing to lend a paw. All you need now is a pokemon for him to fight," she told him. The fisherman nodded and sat down to fish. "Ty, I'm going to train a few yards to the east. Catch up when he has a good final pokemon," Fremd told her newest pokemon. Ty nodded and sat down to wait.

/*/

It took all day for the fisherman to catch a tentacool, but catch it he did. Ty was exhausted, but happy. As were the fisherman and Fremd. "There. Now your team is more balanced and your magikarp will have a chance to gain experience, grow, and evolve into strong gyrados. My work here is done," the young woman said with a grin before motioning Ty back over to her. "Take care. All of you," she said, nodding toward the fisherman and his pokemon.

"My name's Graham," the fisherman said.

"Fremd," she told him, taking his proffered hand and giving it a firm shake.

"I'll remember this, Fremd. You've really helped me out here today. Thank you," he told her.

"Ah, it was no problem Graham," Fremd responded, and off they went. Graham watched her go, her young fire starter tottering happily beside her. He looked down at the pokeball in his hand, the one that held his new tentacool. He chuckled.

"That Fremd... she's something," he said, settling down to fish some more. "I'll be keeping an ear out for her, that's for sure."

/?/

A/N: And... yeah. That's my magikarp chapter. Let me know what you liked, what you didn't, what you'd like to see in the next chapter, and what I can do better in the review box. Until next time, Tschüs.

Regenengel3


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. That should be obvious from the previous 15 chapters.

**Chapter 16:** In Which Fremd Finds a Hobby

Fremd sighed as she walked through the woods, followed by most of her pokemon. While they were wonderful, and she knew they were intelligent, it wasn't the same as having a companion who could talk back in a recognizable language. She kicked a random rock, her foot protected by her boot(which had held up rather well, all things considered). Mike caught it on his chest and kicked it back with a beautiful spinning jump kick, the maneuver bringing his body parallel to the ground, before gracefully touching down. Fremd instinctively blocked it, knocking the rock sideways with her knee. Hector deflected the rock back up into the air with his horn, where Blaze punched it back toward their trainer. Grinning, Fremd intercepted the rock with Stacy's pokeball, then released the rest of the team while the rock was flying back toward Mike. Soon, all seven of her pokemon were knocking the rock around with her. She grinned, swinging a sturdy stick at the flying rock and saving her cranium. "Well guys, it looks like we've found ourselves a new game. Though, I would like to look at getting a ball rather than a rock. And maybe some gloves to give my hands some protection," Fremd remarked.

"Blaziken!" Blaze Fist cheered, knocking the rock toward Hector. They played like that for nearly an hour before someone came along and challenged Fremd to a pokemon battle. Fremd shrugged and caught the speeding rock in her left hand, stashed it in her pouch, shook out her stinging hand, and turned to her pokemon.

"Hey Ranj! Come here," she said, jerking her head. The shy shiny ponyta trotted over, eying the challenger warily. "Don't worry, big guy. You'll do fine," Fremd said quietly to the skittish equine. Ranj rubbed his head against his trainer's chest, then trotted forward.

"Go! Pidgeotto!" her opponent called. Fremd felt her Battle Mask slipping firmly into place, though on the inside she was grinning.

"So, who's move?" she asked blandly, pulling the rock back out and bouncing it in her palm. She felt the need to have something to fiddle with.

"Mine. Pidgeotto, Gust Attack!" the boy yelled, pointing dramatically at Ranj. Fremd snorted, just barely holding back from rolling her eyes at the over-the-top young man. The bird pokemon trilled and began to beat its powerful wings.

"Dodge, break up the ground," Fremd called, chill as you please. Ranj tossed his head and dove to the side before he drove his 'harder than diamond' hooves into the ground. It shattered, providing him with plenty of stones. "Kick it Up and Let's Play, just like before. Then use Ember on them," Fremd directed. Ranj nodded, kicked up a good sized rock, head butted it at the bird, then followed up with a good ember. Distracted by the stone, Pidgeotto stopped its Gust and was hit by the Ember. "Bring it to the ground and tap dance!" Fremd yelled, catching the rock in her hand and watching with sharp eyes. Ranj wasted no time following his Ember up with a Tackle, landing with all four feet on the bird pokemon's back and bearing it to the ground before he once more pounded his hooves to the ground, only this time Pidgeotto was between his sharp hooves and the dirt.

"Eioooooooo!" the bird cried. Fremd nodded.

"Back," she said. Ranj leapt off the bird and came to stand to the right of his trainer, waiting to see what would happen.

"Ah! What?!" the boy yelled, observing his Pokemon. The whole fight had only lasted about thirty seconds, but it had taken quite a bit out of Pidgeotto. Still, the valiant bird got to it's feet, then back into the air. Fremd nodded.

"I must say, your bird's got stamina. Not to mention guts. How long you two been together?" she asked, sharp blue-gray eyes analyzing the boy and his Pokemon.

"A month," the boy said. Fremd nodded.

"Makes this a good match up. I've had Ranj here for roughly the same time," she said, rubbing her friend behind the ears. He let out a happy 'tya!' and leaned into the touch.

"Well, we're not done yet!" the boy yelled, determination in his eyes. Fremd grinned, though it wasn't exactly a friendly look. She showed far too many teeth for that. The boy swallowed heavily at the predatory look.

"Oh, I should hope not," the woman growled. "Ranj, hold the line." While the as of yet nameless boy was nervous and a little off put, he pushed through it and ordered his Pidgeotto to attack with Quick Attack. Ranj dodged to the right this time, and sent another Ember at his flying opponent. The attack hit, but didn't do much damage. "Curb Stomp!" Again, Ranj broke the ground and attacked with the rocks. Pidgeotto received minimal damage, but the didn't really matter. "Now, Round Up!" Fremd called. Ranj nodded and ran, hooves kicking up loose stones. The speed of his run produced winds strong enough to hold the stones in the air for a moment longer than usual.

"Pidgeotto! Gust!" the opposing trainer cried. Fremd's grin didn't falter.

"Hold the Line!" Fremd instructed. Ranj continued to run, the stones just barely held inside the circle. The heat from Ranj's blue mane was effecting the air currents, as well as the stones, and Fremd knew it. She was just waiting for the perfect moment. "And... Fire Stone!" Fremd yelled. The mini vortex was about to rupture and send the warm stones back at her when Ranj tossed his head and used Ember on the 'floating' stones before hitting them away and toward his opponent. Pidgeotto didn't even have time to retaliate before the next attack was made. "Bring it down and go to town!" Once more, Pidgeotto was brought to the ground and pounded by Ranj's hard hooves.

"Pidgeotto! No!" the boy yelled as the dust settled and the bird was revealed to be unconscious. Fremd nodded, smiling at Ranj, before she walked forward and poured... "Is that a smoothie?"

"Why, yes, it is. One of my special blends. I made it while I was wandering the mountains of Hoenn. See, I cut myself pretty bad, and none of my pokemon have healing moves, my first aid kit was out of pain killer with antibiotic cream, and a snow storm was closing in. I pulled out my berries, mashed em up, mixed em with some clean snow, and ate it. Tasted pretty weird, but it dulled the pain and staved off infection. Even helped it heal faster. I don't even have a scar from it. So, I'm guessing, it'll work even better for your Pidgeotto here," Fremd explained as she finished pouring the drink into the bird's mouth. Soon, the bird was on its feet and giving Fremd a thankful look. "Next?" Fremd asked, standing and motioning Mike forward.

"No. We're done," the boy said, shaking his head. Fremd frowned.

"You only have one pokemon, or you no longer wish to battle me?" she asked.

"I no longer wish to battle," the boy said. Fremd scratched the back of her neck.

"I thought there was no running away from a Pokemon match," she mused. The boy flinched. "Ah. So that is the rule. Well, We can do this quick, giving you no chance to win while I curb stomp all of your Pokemon with my starter, or we can do it slow and give you a chance against some of my newer Pokemon. Which will it be?"

"Give me a chance," the boy said. Fremd nodded and Mike stepped up. "Dustox!"

"Skip it," Fremd said, now tossing her rock from hand to hand. Mike began to dance around the bug, dodging any and all attacks Dustox sent his way. "To the limit." Mike nodded and launched a flurry of fast punches, forcing the Dustox higher into the air. "Hum. This is going to be a bit trickier. Dustox have some good moves, if I remember correctly," Fremd mused, watching the moth-like Pokemon dance around Mike's punches. "Right. Time to try something a bit more... indirect. Confusion!" she ordered. Mike nodded and fired the mid-level physic attack toward the poison bug.

"Dodge! Counter with Gust!" Fremd smirked.

"Ride it out with your Hidden Power!" she called. Mike made no move to indicate understanding, but he did jump and appear to ride the turbulent air currents, though the Flying Type energy did cause him more than a little bit of discomfort. As swiftly as possible, he began charging for a Hidden Power.

"Wha... ? Dustox! Watch out!" the boy called, watching with wide eyes as the attack took shape. He was too late and the Hidden Power hit Dustox, knocking him out of the sky. Fremd grinned at Mike, welcoming him off the battlefield. "I don't see how this is you giving me a chance," her opponent muttered darkly. She smirked at him.

"Ranj is a fire type. That knows Ember. My starter is a _Blaziken_. It would have been a simple matter for me to wipe you out within two moves," she said with a shrug.

"You sent out your Pokemon first!"

"So? I could have just let Ranj take _two_ rounds rather than one. He's still got plenty of stamina left and would have had no trouble taking out your Dustox. Now, send out your next Pokemon and lets see if I can match it," Fremd countered without a care. The boy grit his teeth and sent out a Croconaw. "Your starter, yeah? Well. I suppose I should respond in kind, or close to it anyway. My stater is fully evolved, so it's not really a fair fight. Then again, my second and third Pokemon aren't much better. Ah well. Stacy, you're up." The spunky pikachu hopped up to the challenge. It wasn't too much of a contest. Stacy was almost as strong as Ash's famous Pikachu from the anime, and that was without the obvious plot-armor. "Sorry kid, I guess I've just been in the mountains too long. Ground and Rock types are hard to beat when all you have are fire, fighting, bug, psychic, and electric types," she said with a shrug as Stacy huffed, electricity sparking off her cheeks. The boy sighed and returned his fainted starter.

"Yeah. I should have guessed this wasn't your first journey. I was just so..."

"Excited? Yeah, I can understand that. I was excited a lot as a kid too," Fremd told him, looking past him to her own happy memories. "There was a lot more to be excited about back then," she said softly, then shook herself, re-focusing on the matter at hand. "Still, you should consider your opponents before you challenge them. I was playing hacky-sack with my Pokemon. And instead of a nice sand filled vinyl ball, we were hitting a rock. A _rock_. Add to that the fact that Blaziken is the _final evolution_ of the Hoenn fire starter Pokemon torchik and it becomes pretty clear that I've been doing this whole trainer thing for a while now. Actually... I think... wait. It's really only been two years and change? Dang I move fast," she said, ending with an amazed look. Her former opponent wasn't much better.

"You're this strong... after only _two_ _years?!_" he asked.

"Well, it'll be three April the tenth, but yeah," Fremd said with a nod. The boy shook his head.

"You're crazy, ya know that?" She grinned at him.

"Oh, yes, I do know I'm crazy. But you should be grateful that I'm the good kind of crazy rather than the slasher kind of crazy," she said, then ambled off, hoping she was going in the direction of a town. A hacky sack sounded like a good idea.

"Hey wait! Here's your money, for wining," the boy said, jogging after her and handing over fifty Pokedollars. "And now I need to go back to the Pokemon Center."

"Ya know what? Let me walk you there," Fremd said, tucking the money away in her belt. A little money and a guide to town for a Pokemon battle? She'd take it and gladly.

/*/

The walk into town was quiet and mercifully short, though from the snickers coming from the Blaziken, Tommy suspected it would have taken the older trainer a lot longer to find her way. "Ah shut up you overgrown chicken," the woman muttered, confirming his suspicions.

"Well, there's the Pokemon center. I guess this is where we part ways," he told the woman. She chuckled, shaking her head.

"I've been camping a long time. I'm spending the night here and having a real shower. Ah~! Bliss," she said walking in ahead of him. He shook his head, but could understand where she was coming from. He followed her to the counter, the two of them handing over their Pokemon at the same time. The woman nodded to Nurse Joy and ambled off toward the cafeteria while Tommy waited for his Pokemon. He waved to the woman as he left, fully restored Pokemon in hand. She waved back, a look of pure joy on her face as she sucked on a milkshake. As he walked away, he wondered if he'd ever see her again. While she had been a cold battler, she had been almost friendly. Not to mention she was pretty. He thought about how she had trained her Pokemon to use the environment and respond to code words for their attacks. Nodding, he decided to give it a try. The tactic had sure thrown him off.

"I wonder what her name was," he muttered as he went. Three years later, Tom caught a news report about the daring rescue of several Pokemon League officials by Fremd Sutherland, the Number Trainer. His starter chuckled at the gobsmacked look on his face when he recognized the woman as the one who had gotten him started on using code names for his attacks.

/*/

After eating, and waving the boy off as she enjoyed her milkshake, Fremd went up to Nurse Joy. "Your Pokemon are fully recovered!" the bubblegum pink nurse said happily. Fremd smiled at her and retrieved the orbs.

"Thank you. Do you know where I might find a sports store?" she asked, clipping the Pokeballs to the specialized clips on her belt.

"Certainly! Left down the street, then right. It'll be the third building, hard to miss," Joy told her.

"I'd also like to reserve a room for the night."

"Of course. Just write your name here and I'll have a key for you when you get back."

"Thanks," Fremd said, taking the clipboard and pen. 'Fremd Janet Sutherland,' she wrote before passing it back.

"Enjoy your stay, Miss Sutherland!" Joy said, already searching for a room. Fremd smiled.

"I'm sure I will, Nurse Joy," she said before exiting the center and following the nurse's directions to find the shop. As Joy had said, it was hard to miss the sports store, but it was a bit harder to find exactly what she wanted. In the end, she walked out with three vinyl hacky sack bags, a soccer ball, and a youth baseball set. "Alrighty then, let's play," she told her Pokemon, heading into the forest where she had noticed a decent sized clearing. First up was the soccer ball. She showed them how it was manipulated with her feet and explained the rules of the game as best she could, then told them, 'don't worry about the rules, let's just have fun!' Her Pokemon took her at her word and they exhausted themselves running and kicking and blocking and even punching the poor ball. By the time they agreed to stumble back to the Center, the ball was looking rough and very well worn.

"What did you do to that poor ball?" one of the trainers asked when she walked in with the battered toy. She shrugged.

"Played with my Pokemon. Most of them are fighting types, except for Blaze Fist and Stacy, my Blaziken and Pikachu," she said, then turned to Joy. "Can I get that key now? I'd like a shower." Grinning, Joy handed over the key.

"It's nice to see someone who takes the time to have fun on their journey. Would you like me to restore your Pokemon?" Fremd shook her head.

"Naw, I think we'll just have bath time and then sleep for nine hours," she said with a smirk. Joy nodded and Fremd nodded to her and the other trainer before vanishing down the hall to the trainer rooms. Entering the bathroom, she groaned. There wasn't a tub. Ah well. "Okay guys, shower time!" she told them. What followed was a water war of epic proportions that ended with the whole room being totally soaked. Which was why Fremd had bathed her Pokemon first. Ho-one wanted to get soaking wet right after getting dressed in warm, dry pajamas. Pokemon sorted, Fremd toweled the bathroom dry and got in the shower herself. The stall was small, economical, but the water was hot and the pressure was good and the shampoo smelled good. Or, in other words, it was divine. Stepping out with a delighted sigh, she brushed her hair, her teeth, and then collapsed into the soft bed and slept like a dead thing.

/*/

_May 30__th__, 2000_

_ Ah, Pokemon centers. I love them. Free food, free showers, free laundry. I love this world! It's so nice! Oh and lets not forget, they heal your Pokemon. For free! Ha! I'll never find anything like this again, no matter how many worlds I visit. No clue where that idea came from, but I know it's true! Anyway, I found out that my Pokemon like to hit things around, so I've purchased some sports equipment. We have yet to find the perfect fit for us, but I'm leaning toward the hacky sacks. Or maybe baseball. Playing like this could increase our accuracy and control. Plus it's fun. Hum, maybe wrestling next? Or tag? Maybe I can download some music on my Pokenav. Or should I buy what passes for an Ipod in this reality? Hum... music, speakers, Pokemon dance party in the woods. Zumba. Kung Fu. Break dancing. Naw, think I'll stick to sports._

_But I would like to listen to some music from time to time._

/*/

She remained in town for another two days, working her way through all the equipment she had bought, washing her clothes, replacing items as needed, and stocking up on essentials. She was challenged several times during her stay. Her opponents walked away in defeat each time. Noticing the average strength of the local trainers, Fremd decided it was time to move on to harsher environments. Signing out of the Center and returning her key, she thanked Joy and left, headed for the wilder portions of Johto. Finding a promising forest, she left the road and foraged into the brush. She pushed through for almost two hours before she found a good spot and began to set up her camp. The sun was high and hot, for that part of the country, and when her camp was set Fremd was glad to sit down and just take the world in. Breathing deeply, she could smell the wet earth, the trees, the flowers. It was a wonderful smell, and one she had become very familiar with. Her campgrounds never had a fire, Blaze was kind enough to cook her food when it required heat, and so the only smoke scent came from her fire type starter and distant camps. Of course, this allowed her to recognize the scent on a fire type's flame. She heard the rustling of the leaves, the faint footfalls of woodland creatures, and then... she felt the warmth of her Pokemon friends. It was the first time she'd felt it, but she knew immediately what it was. Aura. She wasn't too sure why she knew what, exactly, she was feeling, but it was quite clear. Then her eyes flew open and her teeth barred. "Arceus," she hissed. Who else could it have been, downloading information into her head? Besides, he was the one who dragged her here. She sighed and dismissed it for the time being. Meditation wasn't her strong suit, but she felt the need to meditate after being in the city. And her Pokenav had a bible app. A Bible app that spoke. So, she was listening to Proverbs as she sat there, taking in nature. Ah, she could listen to that calm, soothing voice and breath in that fresh forest air all day. Eventually, her bible app stopped talking and her mind drifted. The warm feeling of her Pokemon's auras came back to her and she took them in, familiarizing her self with them. Slowly, she became aware of the blue glow within her self. From there, she became aware of several other flares around her. It was a hazy sort of sixth sense, but she knew eventually, she'd be able to use the skill well enough to teach it to Ash. With a jolt, she realized she'd already felt his aura, when she took his hand that time in Pallet. The blue glow in his eyes, that faint bond... it had been aura. The realization snapped her out of her meditation. With a groan, she pushed herself up and turned to her Pokemon. "Stretching time friends," she said. Eagerly, her companions joined in, as best they could, with her stretching routine as they knew that afterward they would either play or spar.

/*/

Blaze enjoyed soccer, but it was when Fremd pulled out the small, hard ball and the bat than he had the most fun that day. She would hit the ball with the bat, it would go flying, and then he'd jump and kick it back. Fremd would hit it away and another Pokemon would hit it back and so on. "This would be so much fun if there were more balls to play with," he remarked, once more jumping to kick the ball back.

"Yeah, but she's just testing things out right now. And learning to share is a good thing," Mike said, punching the ball toward Fremd and her bat.

"Yeah, but Blaze has a point as well. Mike, think you could tell Fremd?" Stacy asked.

"Oh right. Psychic type. Please, Mike?" Pam asked.

"On it," Mike remarked, eyes glowing faintly. Fremd blinked as the message came across, then she sighed.

"I'm not too sure I could handle a lot of other balls guys. But, we could try playing hacky-sack. It's just like what we were doing with the rock, only with soft balls rather than, well, a rock," she said. Agreeing readily, Hector caught the baseball and returned it to Fremd's bag while she pulled out the vinyl balls. Since there were only three, they took turns tossing them around as well as bouncing them off elbows, heads, knees, and sundry other body parts. This was especially so when the balls were 'spiked' toward another player. Still, it was a fun exercise and Fremd was pleased to find they had a non-training activity to do together.

/*/

_June 2__nd__, 2000_

_ We have found a team activity that doesn't have to do with training. I is happy trainer yes I is. Also, I think every team should have a Psychic type, just so you can understand what your Pokemon want! Well, Psychic type or one that can use aura. Anyway, I may need to learn how to make those knit/crocheted hacky-sacks. Something tells me we'll be needing more/new ones soon._

/*/

Journal done, Fremd once more set her bible to talking and sat back to listen. This time, however, Addie insisted on curling around her, giving her a back rest. Fremd graciously accepted, then stroked Stacy when she clambered up into her lap. Hector climbed a tree and settled in while Blaze Fist went to the other side of the camp. Pam and Mike returned to their Pokeballs and Ranj laid down in the center of the camp like a living fire, which he sort of was. Fremd felt a warmth in her chest that had nothing to do with the heat of the night and couldn't help a small laugh that bubbled up. "Well, I certainly feel loved," she remarked quietly, scratching Addie behind her horn. The Absol churred happily and drifted off to sleep. Chuckling fondly, and recognizing she wasn't getting up anytime soon, Fremd curled up against the smooth fur of the dark type. "Good night, my friends," the young woman muttered as she fell asleep to the comforting sound of Addie's heartbeat and the soft, monotone voice of her Poke-Nav's bible app.

/?/

A/N: I was asked for team building that wasn't in journal format, so I give you team building that isn't in journal format. Hope you enjoyed!

List of Fremd's Pokemon(because not even the author can keep up with it all the time):

Blaze Fist – Blaziken: Starter

Stacy – Pikachu: rescued from river

Hector – Heracross: fought with bare hands

Pam – Pamcham: rescued from Hunter J

Addie – Absol: battled with Blaze

Mike – Meditite: joined out of free will

Ranj – Ponyta, shiny: Joined of his own free will


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. But my brother has allowed me to play Pokemon Diamond on his DS!

**Chapter 17:** Slow Day

In the morning, Fremd decided to train her Pokemon. "Alright! So, my style revolves around dodging and then hitting back, hard. That means speed _and_ power. If you can turn an opponent's power back on them, do it. Using an enemy's strength against them means less work for you. Also, we're going to be working on resisting status effects. Sadly, I can't train you to resist Sing, which is one of the more annoying status attacks, but we can train Paralysis. Stacy, if you would," she told her Pokemon. The little pikachu churred and turned baleful eyes on her teammates, who all took a half step backward. Fremd chuckled. "It's either training to resist paralysis with Stacy or working speed with me," she said, leaning her weight back on her right leg. On a normal trainer, this wouldn't be intimidating, but this was Fremd. She had a 'thing' about 'normal.' In fact, one of her favorite quotes was, 'normal is a setting on my washer machine.' Most of her Pokemon shared concerned looks. None of them were particularly keen on getting shocked, but then, Fremd's idea of speed training usually involved improvised super effective moves and cackling. Ranj, having not experienced her brand of training, decided to play to his strengths for the day and trotted over to his trainer. Pam and Addie, for reasons beyond their understanding, followed.

/*/

Blaze chuckled as Ranj collapsed to the ground, Addie and Pam not far behind, as soon as Fremd released them. "Rough day?" he asked, completely unsympathetic. The three Pokemon glared at him.

"Shut it, Flame Butt," Pam snarled, sitting up to massage her legs. "That woman is insane."

"But you love it," Mike said, sitting beside her, twitching once.

"Keep your Static to yourself would ya?" the panda snapped.

"Aw come on! He isn't even an electric type!" Stacy quipped, sounding rather pleased with herself. The meditite, in an uncharacteristic move, glared at the electric mouse.

"Some times... I really hate you," he growled. Hector was happily munching on some Cheri berries, ignoring his squabbling teammates. Fremd seemed to be ignoring them and stretching out, focusing on her legs, and humming happily.

"That was a good warm up you guys! Next, we'll be working on power!" she told the Pokemon. They moaned and she chuckled. "Kidding, kidding! Eat, rest, recover. I'm just going to run through my kata's and then meditate while listening to my bible before finding a nice spot and observing the Pokemon," the trainer corrected, waving to them before jogging off.

"Her stamina is other worldly," Ranj breathed, in awe.

"Well, she did focus on herself last year," Blaze pointed out.

"Oh yeah! Before she left for Johto, she spent a year working at the Fushia City Gym, which is run by ninjas," Stacy said.

"So... Ninja Trainer?" Ranj asked. His teammates nodded. "Boy did I get caught by an odd one," he sighed. Mike chuckled, the lingering effects of Stacy's Thunderwave dissipating.

"Ah, but you must admit, she makes life interesting," he said with his version of a smirk. Ranj bowed his head, unable to deny the claim. The meditite chuckled. "Don't feel bad, Ranj. We've all questioned our decisions to follow Fremd at some point," he told the shiny Ponyta.

"Even Blaze?" he asked. The others all looked to the smirking Blaziken.

"Okay, Blaze Fist might be an exception. Crazy flame chicken is almost as insane as our dear trainer," Stacy said, shivering at memories of her teammate's furor.

"What about Mike? Don't you remember how he was captured?" Addie asked. Ranj looked curious. He hadn't heard all the stories yet.

"Yeah... I think it was his resilience that prompted Fremd to offer him a place on the team," Hector said.

"You might be right. I don't know if any of us could have survived the beating he got that first day," Pam said, thinking back.

"Okay, now you have to tell me, how were you captured?" Ranj asked Mike, though the rest of the team, who hadn't told their stories, figured he might as well be talking to them all. Sharing looks, they all decided that even if Mike was going first, they'd all be telling the rookie their stories.

/*/

Fremd paused in her cool-down to observe her Pokemon talking among themselves and smiled happily. It was good that they got along, made it more likely they'd work well together during double battles. Finishing her routine, she went to her bag and retrieved the grooming tools she'd picked up on the sly the last time they were in a town. Smiling, she sat down beside Addie and began brushing the absol's fur, drawing out soft purrs of delight from the Pokemon. "Well, I guess that means you're at least a little bit a cat, hum?" the trainer asked gently, never ceasing her ministrations. Addie gave a blissful 'sol!' and rolled onto her side. Chuckling fondly, Fremd shifted her brush pattern slightly to groom the newly exposed fur. Stacy puffed out her cheeks and jumped on top of Addie.

"Chu! Pika pi chu pika chu!" she huffed, rubbing her head against the brush. Fremd laughed and brushed the little electric mouse.

"You want a little pampering as well huh?" She asked with a smile.

"Cha!" Stacy cheered, relaxing under the brush and Fremd's strong but gentle fingers. And so Fremd spent the rest of the day grooming and petting her Pokemon.

/*/

_June 3__rd__, 2000_

_ I have found that my Pokemon rather enjoy a good brushing/polishing/cuddling. Even Pam! This makes me very happy, very happy indeed. They are such sweeties! Ah, ya know, I think I might be forgiving Arceus. Just a little. Coming here, meeting these wonderful creatures... it's helping me heal. I still miss mom and dad, and the Lennoxes, but it's not as painful anymore. I'm... content. Yes, content. It's nice. Also, I'm finding that my team rather enjoys sports. I rather enjoyed the not-really-baseball game we had, though I kinda prefer soccer. Perhaps I should find a way to introduce them to it? It's a team sport with only one ball... yes. I believe I'll look up the rules and positions for soccer and start teaching them how to play the sport. It'll help if I capture new members. More Pokemon, more players, better game. This ought to be interesting._

/*/

Arceus sighed. This was good. This was very good. Fremd was letting up on him. Perhaps now his sons, Palkia and Dialga would come back? For some odd reason they'd ventured to the Reverse World and never returned. Mew flew by, giggling, and the deity Pokemon sighed once again, this time in mild aggravation. A giggling Mew never meant anything good. "You know something, don't you," he stated.

"Oh, Arcy!" Mew giggled, flipping around to 'sit' on its tail, "Palkia and Dialga have gone to visit their erstwhile brother while you and Fremd are at odds. Your temper is Legendary after all!" Arceus groaned. He wasn't sure which was worse, the puns or the nick-name the purple Legendary had given him.

"Any idea why they have not returned?" he ground out.

"The Ghost Dragon is lonely. He just wants to enjoy time with family," Mew chirped with a mischievous grin. Arceus sighed. Well, there was no chance of the Dragons of Space and Time returning on their own. Either their brother released them, or he went and got them. Mew, the pesky cat, laughed at him, outright laughed, and flew off.

"Infernal feline," Arceus groused, then froze. "Oh dear, I'm turning into Fremd," he muttered to himself as he moved to open a portal to the Reverse World.

/*/

Unaware of her role in Legendary family politics, Fremd sat by her campfire, cooking bacon and toasting bread over the open flame. As she cooked her breakfast, she thought about what she was going to do that day. More training? More observations of native Pokemon? Berry experimentation? Soccer? Or was she going to move on to another area? No. She couldn't move on just yet. There was more she needed to write about the Pokemon in this area and how they compared to others. She sighed and leaned back, munching on a crispy piece of bacon. "While I recognize that I'm healing emotionally, I still miss my home," she said. Her mind drifted back to when she first met Fran. They were in second grade and they had just been released for recess. Little Janet Sutherland pulled out a book from her backpack and followed the crush of children out to the playground. Finding a nice shady spot, well away from the play equipment and sports' field, Janet had sat down and opened the slim volume. It took a moment for her to remember what it had been about. Was it ninjas? Pirates? Or was it a historical book? Ah, that's right, it was about bagpipes. She had just learned about her Scottish heritage, and her father's bagpipes, and had begged her father to teach her to play. Her mother, worried about her eardrums, had insisted that she read about the 'infernal noisemaker that puts Aztec Death Whistles to shame' before she so much as touched the things. Fremd chuckled as she remembered her mother laying into her father about the slightly musty old 'pipes. Anyway, she had taken her bagpipes book outside and was reading when along comes the stereotypical bullies. Fran came, looking like she was gonna beat 'em up, when Janet had glared at them and said, 'so what if I'm taking an interest in my heritage? Wouldn't you like to read about tribal drums and how to make a spear if you found out you were mostly Native American?' This pulled the bullies up short. Fran's laughter hadn't helped. They left soon after and Fran sat down with her.

'Tribal drums and DIY spears huh?' Janet had shrugged with a smirk.

'What can I say? Me likey weapons. Especially shiny ones. Or ones that go _BOOM!_' It was the beginning of a nigh-on legendary friendship. Fremd sighed and cleaned up her fire. The past was the past and she had a difficult future ahead of her. Addie stalked over to her and curled up at her back, dark intelligent eyes tracing the motion of Fremd's bacon. She chuckled and tossed a piece to the attentive fox-dog. It vanished in a single click of the Pokemon's sharp teeth. "Well, at least I have you guys with me," the woman said, smiling at the wondrous creature behind her.

/*/

Elsewhere, an up and coming trainer grinned at his team. "Well guys, now's the time!" he told them, excitement glittering in his eyes. "We're going to take down Roran and earn the Cobble Badge!" He got an excited yip from his mightyena and a pleased coo from his Staravia, a new addition to his team. Ten minutes later, he was battling the gym trainers.

"You're strong," one Black Belt remarked. Brad shrugged.

"I grew up in a dojo, sparring my mother's Machamp and wrestling with my dad's Mightyena," he said before walking off, ignoring the Black Belt's gobsmacked expression.

"Is this your first time challenging a League?" a Fighting Girl asked, readying her Pokeball.

"No, it's my second," Brad responded, also readying his first Pokeball. The girl swallowed heavily and Brad smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'm not using my strongest Pokemon against you," he told her, switching from the first 'ball on his belt to the third. The girl swallowed, knowing that even if he only used that Pokemon, she was going down. It was a Chingling.

"A Chingling?" the girl asked. Brad smirked at her.

"Don't be so quick to discount her," he said. "Psyshock!"

"What?" the Battle Girl squeaked as the powerful Psychic attack hit her startled Machop.

"Like I said, don't be so quick to discount her," Brad replied. "Psychic."

"Detect!" the Battle Girl tried, but it didn't work and her Machop was knocked out. "Okay, wasn't expecting that," she said, recalling her Pokemon and sending out her second.

"Let's finish this quickly, yeah? Astonish!" Down went her Meditite. "No hard feelings, yeah?" he said. The girl waved him on, looking a little dazed. "Think we went a little hard on her, Chingling?"

"Ling!" Chingling chimed firmly. Brad smiled at one of his newer Pokemon.

"Right. Okay! Next up, Roran. You ready for this?" he said.

"Ch-chiling~!" Brad laughed and scooped the little bell Pokemon up.

"You got it!" he told her as he set her on his shoulder. Roran was a large man and it was clear that he was the type of trainer to train with his Pokemon rather than just direct them... at least when it came to moves that wouldn't kill him. Brad did notice a few scars, though.

"So, you're my new challenger?" Roran asked and Brad felt a shiver go through his spine. What the heck was this guy doing as a _Pokemon_ gym leader!? He sounded more like the kind of guy who'd be running a boot camp from hell!

"Yes sir," Brad said, instinctively standing straighter. Roran scoffed.

"Well, you've got manners, I'll give you that," he remarked, eying his challenger before sending out his first Pokemon. Brad swallowed heavily.

"Well this is going to be fun," he muttered, going straight for his Starter. "Torterra don't fail me now," he muttered to the large turtle.

/*/

Fremd spotted the distinctive bright green light that signaled a clearing up ahead and wondered how large it would be. "If this one is big enough, maybe we can play soccer," Fremd told her Pokemon, who had all taken to walking beside her. Ranj snorted and Fremd gave him a curious look. "Ranj, you know I can't fully understand you, right? For one thing, I've always been a cat person and for another, you're a horse. Don't have a lot of experience figuring out what a horse means by 'hupf,'" she remarked.

"Pika~! Pi chu kachu!" Stacy told her firmly. Fremd rolled her eyes at the feisty little electric mouse.

"Despite how much time we've been together, still not that good, Stacy," she remarked, then scooped the little Pokemon up into her arms. "B~ut, I think I might have an idea!" Ranj perked up as his trainer turned her attention to him. "You don't want to play soccer?" The ponyta nodded, looking a bit embarrassed. How she recognized the expression on his equine face, Fremd didn't think she'd ever understand, but she wasn't going to ignore the ability. "Well, what would you like to do? I can set up the others with the hacky-sacks or baseball, but you're my newest teammate and I want you to be happy so... yeah." Ranj looked around at the clearing they had entered as Fremd spoke and trotted over to a stump, where he carefully laid down before looking back at her an letting out a,

"Ta!" Fremd smiled and sat down, pulling out the brush she had bought for the ponyta.

"Alright, grooming it is," she said with a smile. "Oh, but first. Hacky-Sack or soccer you guys?" she called to the rest. A frantic whispered conversation later and Blaze held up one claw. "Hacky-Sack it is," Fremd declared with a nod, pulling the knit balls from her bag and tossing them to the eagerly waiting Pokemon. Fremd cheerfully set to grooming Ranj.

/?/

A/N: More team building that isn't in journal format and the introduction of a new original character! Hope you enjoyed!

List of Fremd's Pokemon(because not even the author can keep up with it all the time):

Blaze Fist – Blaziken: Starter

Stacy – Pikachu: rescued from river

Hector – Heracross: fought with bare hands

Pam – Pancham: rescued from Hunter J

Addie – Absol: battled with Blaze

Mike – Meditite: joined out of free will (Telepathy ability unlocked.)

Ranj – Ponyta, shiny: Joined of his own free will


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

A/N: Wow, two in one day! Truthfully, I forgot I hadn't poste Chapter 17 when I finished it and only noticed when I went to post this one. Oops!

**Chapter 18:** Saving an Official

It had been such a _normal_ day.

Really!

The office was running smoothly, the Pokemon were happy, the coffee machine was working properly, and all the major items had already been handled the previous day.

And then came the resident Team and threw everything out of whack.

"So let me get this straight. The local crime syndicate kidnapped the owner of the Pokeball manufacturing plant. The owner who _doesn't even know __**how**__ to make Pokeballs?!_" Lance asked, staring at the hapless G-Man who had come to him with the notice.

"Y-yes sir!" said hapless G-Man said. Lance sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Right. And it's come all the way to _my_ office... why?"

"He's the cousin of the League Director," Lance's secretary, Janice, said as she walked in. Her shiny black high heels clacked against the floor as she looked over the PADD in her hand, shuffling something. Lance nodded to the severe woman.

"Ah. Yes. That would do it. Right. Come on then! We have an entrepreneur to save!" he said, standing and plucking his coat off the back of his gloriously cushy office chair, making the handsome black leather seat twirl with the motion. Really, he must have practiced the maneuver to be able to pick up his coat, swing it onto his shoulders, _and_ make his chair twirl.

Janice didn't want to think too hard on that. It was highly unprofessional.

No matter how cool it looked.

(It really did look cool and bad-ass, though.)

(Probably why he practiced it to the point that it was perfect.)

/*/

Fremd was minding her own business, training her Pokemon in a forest clearing when all of a sudden... "HELP ME!"

Blaze Fist almost chuckled as his trainer slumped.

Almost.

"Come on, let's go see," Fremd said, motioning to her Pokemon. Eagerly, they leaped to follow her. It was a quick jog(for her) through the tree(top)s to reach the one who screamed. It was a portly fellow who reminded Fremd greatly of the few pictures she'd seen of Mr. Goodshow. "Hullo sir," she called down to the man. He looked up, startled, to stare at her. "Might you be related to a Mr. Goodshow?"

"Yes! He's my cousin! Please, help me!" the man said, beginning to look around in fear. Fremd smiled and dropped down from the branch she had been sitting on.

"Don't worry, there are no grunts nearby. They'd have to be _good_ to hide from me," she said, pulling out her hunting knife. Usually, she used it to cut fruit and peel potatoes but sometimes she used it to skin and gut fish. Of course, after each use, she'd clean it carefully, not liking the idea of carrying a dirty knife. The sharp blade made quick work of the String Shot binding the Goodshow-cousin before she held it out to Ranj. Having traveled with Fremd for several weeks, Ranj knew what was expected and cleaned the blade with a tightly controlled flare. The metal wasn't even warm when Fremd put it back in its sheath.

"W-who are you?" the man asked, carefully climbing to his feet. Fremd gave him a sharp smile.

"Fremd," she answered before tensing and dragging him back into the brush. A finger to her lips prompted the man to remain silent, even as the grunts came into view.

"Where'd he go?!"

"He can't have gone far!"

"Idiots! The String Shot was _cut._ Someone freed him. Fan out! Find them!"

Fremd hissed, drawing her lips back from her teeth as her eyes flashed. "Ranj, I'm going to need you to carry Mr. Goodshow's cousin for me. We need to get out of here. Fast," she said, turning to the ponyta. Once she received an understanding nod from the equine Pokemon, Fremd helped the man mount up before taking to the trees. "Run for the poke-center. I'll hold off the grunts. And that Admin we heard. GO!" she barked before completely vanishing into the trees. Snorting, Ranj took off at a gallop for the nearest poke-center, forcing the man on his back to hold on for dear life.

/*/

Lance arrived roughly twenty minutes later to the sight of Grunts moaning on fallen logs, cradling their poke balls with woeful expressions, and the sound of battle echoing from deeper into the forest. "_FOXTROT_!" Lance blinked as a large **BOOM** echoed in the forest.

"What on..." the man muttered, racing toward the sound. He saw one of the confirmed Admins of the local Team battling a young woman with jaw length brown hair that sparkled in the light of the fire flying around the obviously well-trained blaziken. The stranger wore a forest green long sleeved shirt under a brown camo tunic. Her pants were made for hard travel off road with the same brown camo print. Her boots, however, seemed a little out of place.

"Are those... motorcycle boots?" asked one of the other G-Men Lance had brought along.

"I believe so," the Dragon Tamer remarked.

"Who are you?!" the Admin demanded. The woman snorted.

"That's all you can think of? Pathetic," she said. "Blaze Fist! Mambo number Five!" At the cry of his trainer, Blaze Fist went through a string of moves, mixing Fighting and Fire, with the appearance of a dance. The state of the Admin's Pokemon proved it to be anything but.

"Seriously, though, who are you?" Lance asked, stepping out of the shadows to take the Admin into custody.

"Oh, just a passing trainer who heard a grown man yelling for help like a high school girl," the young woman said, shrugging indifferently. "No one important." Lance hummed, looking back toward the defeated Pokemon.

"Quite the high-level trainer, to do this. What's your name?" he remarked. The woman sighed, shoulders drooping slightly.

"You're not going to let me go, are you?" she asked. Lance shook his head, smiling at her. "Call me Fremd," she said, holding out her hand. Lance gladly took it and gave her a firm handshake.

"You've never competed in a League Challenge, have you?" Fremd smirked in answer to the Champion's question.

"If I had, you'd know. I would accept nothing less than the top fifteen," she said. Lance quirked an eyebrow.

"And if you were lower?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Vanish into the mountains for a year or so and try again," was her answer. Lance just did not know what to make of this woman.

"You are one odd trainer," he finally decided. Fremd shrugged.

"I hadn't planned on being a trainer, to be honest. I really only took the test so I could get a research aide job with Professor Birch, and that was so I could get away from stupid people. Ironically, it's had me running into the _stupidest_ of people. I mean, what's up with Team Magma? Who would really think that reducing the amount of water on the planet's surface would be a good thing? No lake effect, no ocean breezes, no beaches, no sandcastles, no swimming holes, fewer Water Types... it's just No Good all 'round," she said. "And then there's Team Aqua on the polar opposite side of the issue! Luckily, I've never been captured by them but let me tell you, their rivals are _nutso!_"

"Wait... you've been captured by Team Magma?" Lance interrupted. Fremd frowned at him before letting out a large sigh.

"Yeah, and I've got the scars to prove how much of a pain they are," she said, tugging her hair away from the base of her neck. Examining the exposed skin, Lance sucked in a sharp breath at the small sunburst scars that rest there, just below the hair line.

"Thundershock," he muttered. She nodded.

"Low-powered, otherwise I'd be a vegetable, but strong enough to hurt. Knocked me out a few times as well, when it didn't lock my muscles," she said tightly.

"How can you be so..."

"Blaise?" the woman finished with amusement in her voice. "It was a while ago before I went to study under Koga. Besides, I have a Pikachu. Any trauma I might have for electric types has been successfully treated by my adorable yellow puff ball." Lance shook his head at her.

"You're something else," he told her. "Wait, you wouldn't happen to be the one who turned down an offer to train with Bluno, would you?"

"Is that what his name was?" Fremd asked, looking genuinely confused. Lance resisted the urge to face palm but only just.

"So that was you," he muttered. Fremd laughed, her Blaziken coming up beside her.

"No offense to you, mister mister, but I prefer being on my own. My companions are more than enough for me," she said, putting a hand on the fire/fighting type's shoulder. Lance sighed and stepped back. He'd seen this sort of thing often among Dragon Tamers and while he felt certain that Fremd was no Dragon Tamer, she had the spirit of one.

"Very well. If I may make a request, all the same?" he asked. Fremd pondered this, then nodded, giving him her full and undivided attention. It was a bit intimidating actually, but Lance wasn't a Champion for nothing and managed to hide his unease.

"Ask, oh Champion, ask," Fremd said, though to the watching G-Men it had the ring of a command.

"Don't wait for us," Lance said. Fremd blinked.

"Eh?"

"I said, 'don't wait for us,'" Lance repeated. "So many people, when they see a problem, think to themselves, 'it's okay, someone else will take care of it. It's not my problem.' Sometimes the office doesn't even get a call. Sometimes, not even the _police_ get a call. So please, don't wait for us and just act, like you did today." Fremd stared at him with an expression of shock for a moment before a slow smirk stretched across her face.

"Is the mighty Champion of Kanto and Johto asking me, a humble wandering trainer, to do his job for him?" she asked slyly. Lance grit his teeth before taking a slow breath, in and out, before saying,

"In a manner of speaking, yes. I am." Fremd openly gaped at him, certainly not having expected _that_ answer.

"Whoa, hey, I was just teasing you!" she exclaimed, bringing up her hands to flutter in confusion. Lance smirked, pleased to have ruffled the seemingly unflappable Fremd.

"Fremd, I just told you that sometimes, _my office doesn't get the call_. There are events and crimes that happen that we simply _don't know about_. That the _police_ don't know about. What I'm asking... is that you handle those crimes and events you come across and d_on't wait up_. Essentially, I'm offering you a job as a roving member of the G-Men. Whether or not you want to get paid is up to you, along with _how_ you'd get paid, but I could use a trainer of your skill. So, what do you say?" he explained. Fremd sucked in her lips and worried her bottom lip with her teeth, eyes darting this way and that, before releasing them with a sigh as her eyes drifted closed.

"So I'd basically be doing what I'm already doing, just keeping an ear out for crimes and those so-called _events_ that you can often miss because of the 'not my problem' effect. That about right?" she asked. Lance smiled and nodded.

"Yes. Though if you're willing, I'd like to give you a communicator. That way, if there's something we _do_ know about in your area, we could ask that you check it out," he said. Fremd sighed again, then held out her hand.

"You've got yourself a deal, Lancer. On both counts," she said. Lance allowed a bright grin to take over his face as he gave her hand a firm shake.

"What's the next town you'll be at?" he asked. Fremd shrugged.

"Dunno. What's to the Northwest?" she asked.

"That would be... Dunspire I believe. Small place, often skipped, very few trainers come from it or to it but they do have a Pokemon center and, more importantly, a delivery machine. I'll send your communicator there so please, do make sure to check in with them, would you?" Lance answered. Fremd grinned.

"Small town, huh? Love it. Sure thing, Lancer," she said with a nod. Lance felt his eye twitch.

"Please don't call me that," he moaned. Fremd's grin grew just a tad wider.

"Nah, not 'til I'm bored with it. Sorry boyo, you're stuck with that name!" she said.

"Oh, one last thing before you go... roaming Trainers are often looking for something. What are you looking for?" Lance asked. Fremd gave him a considering look.

"Ever hear of Aura Guardians?" she asked. Lance blinked.

"Weren't they the Defenders of Rota?" he asked. "What about them?"

"I'm getting there, but you knowing that much helps. What do you know about Sir Aaron?"

"He stopped a war at the cost of his own life using the Tree of Beginnings," Lance answered.

"Not bad. Yes, he did, but there's more to him than 'that guy who stopped a war by helping out Mew.' Sir Aaron was arguably the best Aura Guardian to ever live," Fremd said, blue-green eyes turning sharp. "I'm searching for his legacy, the one who will surpass him so that I might take him as my student."

"Wait... so you're saying there's someone out there who could become a better Aura Guardian than Sir Aaron running around?" Lance asked. "Wait... what exactly did Aura Guardians _do_?"

"They were protectors, defenders, as the name Guardian implies. Think of them as Knights who didn't rely on the Pokemon to win fights. Pokemon like Salamance or Gyarados might have posed some challenge, as would Ghost Types, but with the use of Aura, the Guardians could do amazing things. Walk on water, up walls, enhance their strikes, launch attacks... there are rumors that Aura Guardians could even use _Pokemon attacks_! Secret or Sacred Sword especially," Fremd explained. "Which is why I feel it's such a shame the Guardians got hunted to extinction. Their descendants might still live, and those with the potential are born from time to time in bloodlines that don't have Guardian history, but there is no-one to _recognize_ the potential, much less _train_ it."

"And you think you can?" Lance asked. Fremd tossed him a smirk.

"Lucario were the traditional partners for Aura Guardians for a reason, Lancer. They aren't called the 'Aura Pokemon' for nothing after all," she said. "Which is exactly why I'm going to find them and train with them. Even if I can't use my aura like the Guardians of old, I can still learn to sense it."

"You..." Lance began before trailing off with a shake of his head. "Understanding how you think is like learning Poke-speak!" Fremd laughed and mimed tipping her hat to him before vanishing into the trees like the ninja she was. "I need coffee," Lance muttered, releasing his Salamance and hopping on his back. "You guys have this covered, right?" he asked. His men grinned and gave him slightly teasing salutes.

"Go on, Captain, we've got this," the highest ranked agent, under Lance answered. Nodding to the men, Salamance took off and carried his trainer back to the city... and his favorite coffee shop.

/*/

Fremd snickered quietly as she watched Lance leave before making her way back to the clearing she'd been training in before. "Well team, that was certainly a new experience, wasn't it?" she asked her Pokemon. "And I got a new job out of it, even if it's only 'keep doing what you're doing.'" Blaze chuffed his equivalent to a laugh and Ranj came galloping up with a 'yta!' Blaze and Mike launched into what Fremd assumed to be play-by-play for the ponyta. Chuckling, Fremd set about making lunch for them all. "Yes, this was an interesting experience," she remarked to herself. After eating, training resumed. Stacy, Hector, and Addie were up, facing off against Fremd and Pam for endurance and accuracy training. The endurance could actually double as dodging and came from evading attacks from Fremd and Pam while trying to gain enough distance to use their ranged attacks. This also worked in Addie's favor as she could work on her Disaster Sense at the same time, though it did give her an almost unfair advantage. Training lasted for another hour and a half before they broke for the night and got washed up as well as they could. After dinner, Fremd settled back against Addie's warm side and pulled out her PokeNav.

/*/

_July 1__st__, 2000_

_ So. Today was... interesting, to put it mildly. Oh sure there was the usual training and some observation of local wildlife, but that's not what I'm talking about. No, I'm talking about the part where I channeled a _Naruto-_esque ninja and saved Mr. Goodshow's cousin from the local Team (I honestly don't care enough to remember their name but I don't think it was Rocket despite the nearness of Kanto) and then had a stimulating conversation with Champion Lance. While surrounded by G-Men. Yeah, that was pretty cool if I'm being honest. Lance even gave me a _job!_ I am now a roving G-Woman and will be picking up my Comms Device at Dunspire. My job will be to handle '_crimes and events'_ that no-one calls in. Likely as not, I'll call either the G-Men or the local police to take the criminals I defeat and summarily knock out. Heh, sounds like my kind of fun. Especially after what Magma did to me. Watch out 'Teams,' Fremd's on the prowl and she's got full permission to _take. You. **Down**_._

_On another note, though not completely different, I think I like Lance. He's cool. And so is his Salamance. I wonder if I could get him to give me a ride someday... flying a la Dragon Type has _got_ to be fun!_

/?/

A/N: And there's Fremd's first meeting with Lance and his G-Men! Anyone who read the as-yet-to-be-edited '_Training Ash_' story and wondered, 'what was so memorable about Lance and Fremd's first meeting?' Well, this was it. Hope it was memorable enough for you and their explanations didn't twist your brain too much!

List of Fremd's Pokemon(because not even the author can keep up with it all the time):

Blaze Fist – Blaziken: Starter

Stacy – Pikachu: rescued from river

Hector – Heracross: fought with bare hands

Pam – Pancham: rescued from Hunter J

Addie – Absol: battled with Blaze

Mike – Meditite: joined out of free will (Telepathy ability unlocked.)

Ranj – Ponyta, shiny: Joined of his own free will


End file.
